The ABC's of Booth and Brennan
by beaglelvr93
Summary: J is for Jail, K is for Kisses and Keepers... A collection of oneshots each having to do with a letter of the alphabet. It's up to you guys to come up with the word! Some of these will be AU, some fluffy, some serious, some fun.
1. A is for Abandonment

A is for Abandonment

Hey all! I've been looking for a list of words to write some shots with, and I've decided... You guys come up with them! I'm starting with 'A is for Abandonment', it's up to you guys to give me a good B.

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She sat huddled in the corner of the dark kitchen, whimpering pitifully to herself. The 15 year old Temperance Brennan had tried to be strong, and had succeded for about three days.

They were gone. They weren't coming back.

Clutching her knees to her chest, she cried harder, the tears streaming down her face like a small, salty waterfall. In the midst of her misery, she heard voices on the front porch.

"I know that Max and Ruth left a few days ago. I think Tempe is still in there. Can you check it out, officer?" Brennan bit back a sob, trying to recognize the voices.

"I'll see if anyone is home, Ma'am. Thank you for calling me out." That voice was unfarimmilar to Tempe.

"Thank you, officer." Her nieghbor. The Westlings, who lived across from them. She knew _that_ voice. Tempe listened as Mrs. Westling walked back down the steps, and there was the sound of someone jiggling the doorknob. Her ears perked up and she shrank further back against the cabinet she was curled against, as the sounds of mild cursing and a door banging open reached her ears.

"Temperance Brennan? Is anyone home?" A male voice called. Somehow it made Tempe cry harder.

The footsteps neared the kitchen, and then the form of an adult man appeared in the doorway. Tempe let out an involuntary whimper of fear, and pressed herself further into her corner.

"Hey there." The man said, his voice soothing as he crouched down to her level, even though he was still all the way across the spacious kitchen. He seemed to know that she needed her space. "Are you alright?"

"Not really." Tempe responded, cursing herself when she heard her voice waver.

"Where are your parents? Are you here all alone?" The man asked, scooting over to her, and leaning against the cabinet about five feet away from her.

Brennan's lower lip trembled at the mention of her parents, and she let out a soft sob. The man scooted a bit closer to her, and surprisingly, she let him.

"Let's start with names. I'm Seeley Booth, a police officer. Your neighbor was worried about you."

"Tempe Brennan. My parents left." She mumbled, her arms wrapped around herself. Booth let out a breath and rubbed his hands up and down his arms.

"Nice to meet you, Tempe. Man, it's cold in here. You must be freezing." Booth commented, gesturing at her t-shirt and jeans. She nodded.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Tempe, I'm just here to help. Come here, I'll give you my jacket." Booth took off his jacket, and Tempe scooted close enough to allow him to wrap the jacket around her. Before she could object, he pulled her into his arms, and rubbed his hands up and down her arms, trying to stimulate warmth.

"Jeez! You're skin and bones!" Booth exclaimed, hugging Tempe's trembling body closer to his. "Don't you know that you have to turn on the heat if you want it to be warm?" Booth asked teasingly.

"Yes, I'm not stupid, Mr. Booth. I-...I just haven't... well, I haven't left the kitchen. I keep thinking they are going to come back. But something else tells me they are gone for good." She murmured, burying her face in his shirt.

"Call me Booth. I'm sure they had a good reason for leaving. They still love you, you know that?" Booth soothed. Tempe sighed.

"I'm just the type of person who doesn't get to be in a family anymore."

"Hey, Bones, there's more than one type of family."

"What did you call me?!" Tempe asked incredulously.

"Bones. 'Cuz you're skin and bones... get it? Listen, Temperance. Let's get you out of here, get some food into you, and then we can decide what we'll do about your family, ok?"

"But-" She argued weakly.

"No buts. I'm not leaving you here, alone." Reluctantly, she agreed.

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An hour later, both Booth and Brennan were sitting in a booth at a nearby diner, chowing down on grilled cheese sandwiches.

"So, what music do you listen to?" Booth asked.

"I like Foreinger." Booth grinned.

"Hot Blooded? Hey!" He exclaimed as she reached over and stole one of his fries.

"I love Hot Blooded." She replied, popping the fry into her mouth.

The barman came over to their table, mop in hand. "Hey Booth, sorry man, I've gotta close up."

"That's alright, Sid. We're on our way out." Throwing a couple bills on the table, they headed out of the diner.

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They pulled up outside an apartment building, and Booth got out. Brennan stayed put, fingering the zipper on her small duffel bag.

"You coming, Bones?" He seemed to read the look on her face though, because he added. "It's here or the foster home. And I don't think the foster home has marshmallows." Sighing, Tempe followed him up the stairs to a small flat. Opening the door, Booth walked in and threw his jacket onto the back of the couch, heading for the kitchen. "Make yourself at home."

She walked over to the couch and sunk down on it, all of a sudden exhausted.

Booth walked out of the kitchen minutes later to find Tempe sound asleep on his couch. Grabbing the blanket that was on the back of the couch, he draped it over her and tucked her in.

"Thanks Dad." She murmured sleepily.

Booth smiled sadly, and then picked up the phone. He had a favor to call in.

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Brennan woke up to the smell of pancakes. Opening one eye, she looked around. She was in a strange apartment... Panic gripped her until she heard Booth's voice, then it all came crashing back.

"Glad to see you're awake, Bones." He said, setting a plate of pancakes and syrup down on the counter. "Come and get it."

Brennan got up and slouched over to the counter, plopping down heavily on one of the barstools. She shoved a bite of pancake in her mouth, and her eyes lit up. Greedily devouring the rest, she sat back with a sigh once her plate was clean. Booth chuckled at her behavior.

"I don't think I've even seen Parker eat that fast." He commented.

"Parker?" Brennan asked, reaching for seconds.

"My son. He's five." They lapsed into silence as Brennan finished her second round of pancakes.

"Listen, Bones. I called in a favor last night, and I found out that you have a grandfather. He's willing to take you in until your parents show up. Is that ok?"

Tempe nodded dully. "Thank you, Booth." She said softly.

"It's the least I could do. You really think I would leave you in the house alone?"

"No, it's just nice to know that someone still cares."

"Anything for you, Bones."


	2. B is for Beliefs

B is for Beliefs

Thank you to **freelancer starbuck **for the word!

s

I don't think I explained myself enough in the last chap. Lots of people were confused by the age differences. Tempe was younger, and Booth was a cop. In other words, major AU. I don't know how the rest of these will turn out, we'll have to see where the 'word' takes me. Thank you for reviewing, everyone!

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"_Jesus is not a zombie." _Booth said firmly, his grip tight on the steering wheel as he attempted to maneuver through rush hour traffic.

"He rose from the dead three days after being crucified, I think that counts as being a zombie. Zombie, by definition,--" Brennan started, only to be cut off by her partner.

"Don't _definitionize _me, Bones. Jesus is not a zombie, and it's fine if you don't believe, but just don't insult me!" Booth growled, his fingers tapping wildly on the steering wheel.

"Definitionize? I don't know what that means." Brennan replied, her eyebrows together and her bottom lip between her teeth in confusion. Booth sighed and took off his sunglasses, glancing over at her.

"It means you are getting squinty--"

"Booth! Eyes on the road!" Brennan shrieked as they swerved dangerously.

"Shit!" He barked, the tires screeching wildly as they spun in a complete U to avoid the oncoming car. The SUV jerked to a halt and the partners sat there, both panting.

"Wow, that was a close--"

SLAM!

They were hit from the side, and head on. Brennan was thrown towards Booth from the impact, but the seatbelt jerked her back into her seat. The windshield shattered. Time seemed to stop, and the last thing Brennan remembered before she blacked out was Booth's eyes, locked with hers, terrified and filled with pain and love.

She didn't know how long she was unconscious, but it must have been mere minutes because when she woke, she was still in the car. Coughing from the smoke that was now billowing from the hood, she flipped her head to the left, and her heart caught in her throat. Booth was unconscious, his head bleeding from a cut. She had to get them out of there.

Straining her arm, she tried to reach one of the glass shards from the windshield. Her arm was too short, so she gave a jerk. Screaming when she felt her shoulder dislocate, Brennan grabbed the glass and sliced through her seatbelt. Dragging herself to Booth's seat, she did the same for him. Once he was free, she tried to open the door.

Of course, it was stuck.

She somehow got her leg up and kicked at the door. To her surprise, she felt it budge. A few more well placed whacks, and the door opened up. Clinging to Booth, she dragged the two of them out and onto the pavement. By now, the three car pile up had attracted some attention, and someone had called an ambulance. She heard the sirens, but that's not what she cared about.

Once they were about ten feet away from the car, and after brushing off help from the many worried bystanders, Brennan held Booth in her arms. His head lolled back on her shoulder, and she buried her face in his neck.

"God, if you are in fact real, please save this man." She prayed, rocking him back and forth, crying into his neck. "Please save him. Please, God, and I didn't mean it. Jesus isn't a zombie."

"Glad you see it my way, Bones." Her head snapped up at his weak voice.

"Oh God, Booth." She hugged him tighter to her. "I thought you were--"

"Shhh. It's ok Bones." He tried to sooth her. "I'm fine, I think."

"You think? Where does it hurt?" Brennan asked worriedly.

"Well, my whole body hurts. Want to kiss me and make it all better?" He asked, his charm still firmly intact as he grinned up at her.

"Oh, fine. But just for the record, your ego doesn't need any more--" She started.

"Just shut up and kiss m--" He was cut off by her lips on his. Struggling against holding his weight in a sitting position, Brennan slowly sank down so that they were both lying on the ground, tangled together. A throat clearing made them break apart, panting.

A tall, black, female paramedic was standing next to them, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Are you two done, or are we gonna have to take you in like that?" She asked, arms crossed.

"No, ma'am, I think we're good." Booth said with a grin.

"Sir, you have a large cut on your head. I am taking you to that hospital whether you like it or not."

"But--"

"No buts. Get in that ambulance, now." The paramedic commanded, her voice forced calm.

Booth and Brennan gulped.

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They were sitting side by side in the ambulance, heads hung low guiltily.

"What on earth inspired you to start a pile up?" The paramedic asked, bandaging the cut on Booth's head.

"I didn't mean to." Booth mumbled, feeling like he was in the principals office.

"Hmmm." She responded. "All done. Now--" She started, pointing accusingly at both Booth and Brennan. "You two are going to cooperate. When we get to the hospital, both of you are going for x-rays, and you--" She pointed at Booth, "Are going for a CAT scan for that bump on your head. We're not taking any chances here, even a minor head injury can do damage. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Booth and Brennan replied, nodding like guilty children.

"Good. If I hear that you are causing ANY trouble, I will personally come down to X-ray."

The ambulance arrived and Booth and Brennan got out, heading for x-rays.

"What does she think we're gonna do, Bones? Blow up the place?" Booth asked, his arm slung around Brennan's waist. She shrugged and leaned into him, the events of the day catching up with her. Booth wasn't looking where he was walking, and as a result ran into a young, blond, male intern who was carrying a large box of surgical instruments. They all went down with a loud crash, various metal pointy things flying in every direction.

Booth, who still had his arm around Brennan's waist, hauled her to her feet. Bending down, he held out his hand to the intern he had knocked over.

"Sorry about that." Booth said, helping him up.

"That's ok. I couldn't really see over the box anyway. Can you help me pick these up?" The intern asked. Both Booth and Brennan nodded, stooping to pick up the instruments. Once they were all back in the box, they went their separate ways.

"Well, maybe we COULD blow the place up." Brennan said with a smirk. Booth rolled his eyes and tugged her closer to him.

"Only us Bones, only us."


	3. C is for Cold

C is for Cold

I'm impressed with the reviews on this! Keep it up guys! Sorry, no shout out this time. I ended up coming up with the word. The ones below are the ones you guys came up with. Great work! (think 'D')

Some other 'C' words : commitment, comfort, cold, clowns, curiosity, cozy, Christmas, crash, captive, captivity, couples' therapy, candy, cupcake, celebration, call, coffee, cadaver, Cam, coat, car, cell phone, casino, Cat and Mouse, cravings, clumsy, cranberry sauce.

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Normally when one wakes, they are cocooned in a warm, fuzzy bundle of lovely sleepiness, wrapped snuggly in their quilt, or if they are lucky, the arms of a lover. Some even have a large, fluffy St. Bernard or something of the like to snuggle up with.

Temperance Brennan had none of this. She was jolted to consciousness quite rudely on that fateful, chilly Thursday morning. Opening one eye, she glanced around, hoping to discover the source of the cold draft that was buffeting her bare arms. She discovered it, directly above her.

The celling fan was rotating lazily, round and round and round. Groaning, she uncurled from her position on her side and rolled onto her back. Fully opening both eyes, she looked down. Now where the heck was that afore mentioned cocoon of warmth? She looked over the edge of the bed. Her quilt was on the floor. She must have kicked it off in her sleep. As to why the fan was on...

It had a mind of it's own. She refused to use the word 'haunted', as she didn't believe in ghosts, but when ever she needed the fan on it would simply start of it's own accord at the desired speed. This is what caused her to shoot it a nasty glare. Why was it all of a sudden uncooperative? Glancing at her cell phone on her night table for the time, she scrambled quickly out of bed and headed for the shower. She was already ½ an hour late. _Thank you, fan, for the wake up call._

Turning on the water and jumping in the shower, Brennan did a little dance as the cold water chilled her though. After waiting a couple of minutes for it to warm up and only receiving frigid liquid, she soaped and rinsed faster than she ever thought possible. Shutting off the water, she hopped out and wrapped herself in a large fluffy towel, where shivered violently for a few moments before toweling off. Walking to the counter, she picked up the blow dryer, raised it above her head, and clicked 'high'. Nothing happened.

Growling, she smacked it a few times with the heel of her hand. Clicked again. Nothing happed. Clicked light switch. Nothing happened. _Dam, power's out. _

Running a brush through her wet, cold hair, she hurriedly dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. On her way to the kitchen, she grabbed the sweatshirt that was on the couch and pulled it over her head. A bit warmer, but not much. Reaching the kitchen, she realized that hot coffee wasn't possible with the power out, and settled for cold orange juice.

Grabbing her keys, she was almost out the door before she remembered her phone. Running into her bedroom, she snatched it off her night table and headed out again, sending a small wave to the now motionless fan. She made a note to dust it later for it's kindness as alarm clock.

In the car, sans hearer of course, Brennan shivered all the way to work. Upon arriving, she headed strait for the janitor.

Ten minutes later, she ambled into her office dejected and no warmer than before.

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Was it just her? Was she the only one that was FREEZING? Brennan sat in her office, curled up on her couch, shivering. A blanket, sweatshirt and cup of hot coffee had done nothing to warm her vibrating nerves.

Cursing ice cubes, Klondikes and Antarctica, Brennan tugged the blanket tighter around herself and muttered threats to the janitor who had refused to up the heat in her office. He had made up some excuse about 'zoned heating' and explained that if he wanted to heat her office, he'd have to heat the whole floor. She had just restrained herself from shouting, "Who gives a dam about the rest of the floor? I'm freezing my ass off!"

The ringing of her cell phone and the sound of Booth's ring tone brought her out of her cold-induced coma. Hot Blooded was playing from the phone's speakers. Grumbling about how 'Hot Blooded' was the last thing she was, she answered the phone.

"Bones speaking."

"Since when do you answer the phone as 'Bones', Bones?" Came Booth's cheery voice.

"Since you programmed my phone to play Hot Blooded every time you call." She replied, her teeth chattering slightly.

"You were looking over some bones, I was bored. Hey, listen, I've got a body coming in for you. I'll be there in about ten minutes, ok?" Booth explained.

"Mmhmm. New case?"

"You bet. See ya in a few." He said, and was just about to snap the phone shut when she asked,

"Are you cold?"

"Cold?" He asked, confused.

"Yes, that's what I just said. Is it cold at the Hoover?"

"Uh, no...? Why?" Booth asked, still confused.

"Nothing, bye." Booth stared at the phone. _She hung up on me!_

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Booth strolled into the lab, clad in a t-shirt and jeans. He loved 'Casual Thursdays'. It gave everyone an excuse to get rid of those suits. Whistling happily, he tapped the file folder against his leg as he hopped up the steps to the platform. Glancing around, he saw Hodgins studying some dirt at his station, Zack looking at a body, and Brennan and Angela talking off to the side, sitting in rolling office chairs that looked like they had just been nabbed from some poor, unsuspecting cubicle worker. Angela was swinging back and forth happily chatting away. Brennan was curled in the chair, snuggled up in a large sweatshirt. With a jolt, Booth realized that it was his.

"Hey Bones, Ange. Nice sweatshirt, Bones." He teased with a grin. She glanced down at it, taking in the FBI written across the front.

She shrugged. "I'm cold. It was on my couch." Angela had her fist stuffed in her mouth, barely containing a squeal.

"And _how _did it end up there, Brennan? Something you aren't sharing?" Brennan shot her a glare.

"Booth comes over to my place to work on cases. I go to his. There's nothing going on. Where's my body?" Brennan asked in quick succession, turning to Booth and shivering slightly. She wasn't sure if it was from the cold or his intense stare.

"Right here, Bones." Booth said with a smirk, not breaking her gaze. He raised two fingers to his lips and letting out a shrill whistle. On cue, three men came around the corner carrying a body on a stretcher. "Bring it on up, boys!" The men brought the stretcher up and put it on the exam table, drawing Zack and Jack like moths to a flame.

Jack peeled back the tarp that covered the bones, and Brennan uncurled from her chair to hover over them. Almost as soon as she looked at the bones, she raised her eyes, finding Zack's just as shocked and full of pain as hers. Looking back, she asked him.

"Is this real? Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Zack nodded sadly, closing his eyes briefly, putting his heart in that box.

"What is it, Bones?" Booth asked curiously, moving so that he was behind her, peering over her shoulder. She leaned back into him for support.

While Booth saw a pile of Bones, Brennan immediately saw the pain. This person, girl to be exact, had been tortured. Horribly, horribly tortured. She now felt the cold seep into her soul. Laying her head back on his shoulder, she looked him in the eye sadly. "Do you know what drawing and quartering is?" Booth's eyes widened. "This girl was drawn and quartered." Glancing at the bug guy, she asked. "Hodgins, TOD?"

Squinting at the body, he picked up a small bug. "This little baby tells all. About a year ago." Hodgins placed it in a jar for further examination.

"Zack..."

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It was their quickest case ever. An hour later, their suspect was in interrogation. An hour after that they had a confession to a witch obsession and murder. The rest of the squints had gone home, but Brennan sat shivering in a chair, staring at the bones of the poor girl who was accused of witch craft.

"I thought you went home." Booth said softly, coming up the steps behind her. He pulled a chair next to her and watched the emotions play across her face.

"How could someone do that?" She said weakly, her voice soft. Booth leaned over and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I don't know, Bones. But we got him." Sniffing, she turned into his arms and let herself fall into his embrace.

"Shhh." He soothed, cradling her in his lap. "It's ok, Bones. I'm here." He stayed that way until she calmed down, and fell asleep.

And for the first time all day, she felt warm.


	4. D is for Dreams

D is for Dreams

**Jazlover37** and **Jenniedvm** both suggested 'dreams', thank you!

Some other 'D' words: Discombobulate, Drugs, Dumb, Delight, Draw, Done, Door, Double, Dung, Dunce, Dork, Dab, Drink, Drag, Dead, Dream, Dark, Dance, Draw, Dry, Drain, Devotion, Drama, Drought, Doubt, Delusion, Danger, Duh, Distracted, Denial, Detail, Defense, Dragon, Dog, Duct tape...

I own nothing.

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"Good morning, Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth." Dr. Sweets said cheerily, watching as the pair slumped into the room and plopped down on the couch beside one another, both rubbing their eyes sleepily. "Sleep well?"

Booth snorted as Brennan rolled her eyes. "I'll take that as a no." Sweets said, making a note on his clipboard.

"So Bones, what time did you actually go home last night?" Booth asked with a yawn.

"Umm..." She started, avoiding his eyes.

"Bones! I told you to go home at ten! Please tell me it wasn't much later than that."

"Well... I went home at eleven, but didn't get to sleep until about two..." Sighing, Brennan looked up at him meaningfully before saying quietly. "You know what today is. It took me an hour to convince myself to cross the parking garage." Booth's eyes widened.

"Oh god." He said, turning so that he was facing her completely, "I'm sorry, Bones, I didn't realize-"

"I assume that you are referring to the incident that occurred two years ago, with a serial killer called..." Sweets consulted his notes and then looked up at them, "The Gravedigger"

Both Booth and Brennan glanced quickly at each other.

"Yes. Booth replied, sitting up straiter, his stance protective.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sweets asked.

"No. The dreams are enough." Brennan muttered, staring at her hands.

"You still have nightmares of this event, years later?" Sweets questioned, glancing back and forth between the partners. When they both kept their eyes averted and their mouths shut, sweets added incredulously, "Both of you? But why, Agent Booth? You weren't in that car."

"Exactly." He growled. "I was out here and there was nothing I could do. We were almost too late." The pain was clear on his face.

"How often do you have these dreams?"

"This one specifically?" Brennan asked, looking at Sweets.

"There are different ones? More than this?" They both nodded, and Brennan started listing.

"Kenton, Gravedigger, Icepick and Gallagher, Lappin," She gulped, and Booth shifted closer to her, lending his support. "My mother's case, my father and brother, the widow's son and Gormagon, El Salvador, Guatemala..." She looked up at Booth. "And for you, the case with the man in the SUV..." She trailed off. Sweets had his mouth hanging open.

"How many cases have you two worked together?" He asked, scribbling furiously.

"Fifty-six." The partners answered immediately.

"And how many have you solved."

"Fifty-four. The gravedigger and Gorgonzola are still out there." Booth responded.

"_Gormagon." _Brennan said, punching him in the arm.

"Hmm. I'd like to do a sleep study on the two of you. It's not healthy to have these memories haunting you all the time. Hopefully with the sleep study, we can find something that will help to stop these dreams."

"What does a sleep study involve?" Booth asked nervously.

"You wear leads to monitor heart rate and breathing." Brennan explained.

"How about tonight? Great. I'll go get it arranged." With that he walked out of the room, leaving the partners to stare at each other.

"Did we just agree to that?" Booth asked. Brennan shrugged in response.

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"We could just not show up." Booth suggested. They were sitting on the couch in her office, eating takeout.

"I don't think that will work. They know where to find us." Brennan replied, reaching over and nabbing one of his fries.

"Hey! Get your own!" He slapped at her hand teasingly. "I could tell Sweets that we have a case. He can't take us off an official investigation." Booth suggested.

"That might work."

"I'll call him right now and tell him. It's-" He leaned over Brennan to glance at the clock on her desk. "8:00. There's no way that he can come up with an excuse to get us in there now." Pulling out his phone, he dialed a number.

"Sweets"

"Hey, it's Booth. Listen, Bones and I can't make it to the sleep thing tonight, we have a case."

"Oh, alright Agent Booth. We'll just have to reschedule then. Goodnight." He hung up as Booth punched the air triumphantly, grinning madly.

"It worked, Bones!" Booth exclaimed, pulling her off the couch and into an excited hug. "Ha! The kid never knew what hit him!" She chuckled against his neck.

But there excitement was short lived. The hug and moment were shattered when Booth's phone rang. He picked it up, and Brennan listened to his half of the conversation.

"Booth. Yes, sir. I will. Yes she is. Alright, bye." He hung up, all happiness gone. "That was Cullen. He wants to see us immediately."

"Uh oh." Brennan muttered, grabbing her coat and following Booth out the door.

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When they walked in, Cullen was sitting behind his desk with a stern expression on his face. Sweets was leaning against the wall, a smile on his face that could only e described as 'victorious'.

"Sit." Cullen ordered. They obeyed, each taking one of the uncomfortable chairs in front of the desk. Somehow it felt like they were in deep, deep trouble.

"What is this new case you are working on?" Cullen asked.

"Case? Ohhhh, THAT case." Booth laughed nervously, glancing at Brennan. "Well, I was just helping Bones with something, and-" He stopped at the amused look on Cullen's face.

"You were always a horrible liar, Booth. What's the problem with a sleep monitor?"

"It's not going to prove anything!" Brennan said angrily. "Why do we even have to continue seeing a shrink? We're fine. We still solve cases and-

"It is mandatory, Dr. Brennan. There will be no more arguments on the subject. Please go downstairs with Dr. Sweets, both of you. If I hear ONE complaint from ANYONE, you will answer to me personally. Capash?"

They nodded and stood up to leave, hands shoved in their pockets as they trudged after Sweets.

"You know, Agent Booth, you don't have to make such a big deal out of this. All I'm asking you to do is sleep." Sweets said as they arrived downstairs and stood in front of two doors. "Dr. Brennan, the left please, Agent Booth, right. Someone will be in shortly to explain everything." Sweets left somewhat abruptly, leaving them standing there.

"Well, goodnight Bones." Booth leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the lips, something they had just recently started as a joke. After their 'episode' with the mistletoe at Christmas, Booth had taken to kissing her at unexpected times. She murmured a goodnight as he went into his room. It had a TV, queen bed, nightstand and a couple of movies. He noticed the door leading to Bones' room, and walked over to open it. Just as his hand reached the doorknob, the main door to his room opened and someone in a lab coat walked in. Booth jumped away from the door, and started at the new comer.

_Great, another squint... _he thought.

"Agent Booth?" The young man asked. "I'm Dr. Calvin."

"What can I do for you?" Booth asked, crossing his arms.

"Take off your shirt so that I can attach the leads." Watching the Doc closely, Booth tugged his shirt over his head and pulled off his wife beater. Dr. Calvin came up to him with a complicated looking device with lots of wires.

"I'm supposed to sleep with THAT on?" He asked incredulously.

"It's not bad. You won't even notice it." Booth huffed while the Doctor placed the leads on his chest. He yelped as the first one hit his skin.

"That's cold!"

"It'll warm up. All set."

"You gonna do the same thing to Bones too?" Booth asked, a protective glint in his eye.

"It's already taken care of. Good night, Agent." He left, leaving a shivering Booth standing in the middle of the room. Pulling his shirt back on, careful of the wires, Booth sat back on the bed with a sigh. After a few moments of bordom, he went over and tried the door to his partner's room. It was locked._ Now what_?

He lay down on the bed and flung an arm over his eyes, sighing again.

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In the next room, Brennan also had leads put on her and was sitting, back against the headboard and her knees drawn to her chest. Her eyes darted around the room as she shivered slightly. TV, lamp, small bed. A few books and movies. Then she spotted the camera in the corner of the ceiling. She froze. They were watching her! Outraged, she grabbed her pillow case and fitted it over the camera. Satisfied with her work, she went back to the bed, lay down and tried to sleep.

Only to wake up ten minutes later, a muffled scream on her lips and drenched in sweat. Panting from the nightmare, she ran over to the door, attempting to go into Booth's room. The door was locked. Pulling a paper clip out of her pocket, she softly picked the lock. Hearing the lock click as the door swung open, she let out a yelp of triumph.

"Bones?" Squinting through the dark, she tied to locate her partner.

"Where are you?" She asked, stumbling forward, arms out stretched. Her hands were grabbed by his as he lead her over to the bed. Booth lay on his back, and Brennan crawled under the covers next to him and curled into his side, shivering.

"You alright, Bones?" Booth asked soothingly, rubbing her back soothingly. His motions were hindered by the leads on her back, and he just resisted the urge to pull them off her. He restrained because he knew they would have to do this again if it wasn't done properly.

"I was back in the warehouse. You didn't show up this time." She whimpered.

"Shhh... Come here." He pulled her fully into his arms, draping a leg over her to tug her closer to his body. "I'm here, it's all over."

They fell asleep in each other's arms, for one rid of the nightmares.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

In a small room, Dr. Sweets, Dr. Calvin and Cullen monitored the partners.

"It's amazing. As soon as she was in his arms, her heart rate slowed right down, and their breathing synchronized. You could tell before when she was having a nightmare, her breathing would spike. Now, they are both sleeping normally. Dr. Sweets, how can you explain this?" Dr. Calvin asked, amazed.

"They complete each other. There will be no more need for the sessions, Mr. Cullen. I have faith that there will be no more nightmares for these two, as long as they sleep together."

"You are telling me to FORCE my best Agent to sleep with his partner?!" Cullen asked. At the Doc's approving nod, he ran a hand over his face. "What has happened to the world?"


	5. E is for Eggnog in an Elevator

E is for Eggnog in an Elevator

Thank you to **piratesmiley****noelle1322, and****Laby Anne Boleyn for suggesting eggnog and elevator!**

E is also for : eccentric, elaborate, elicit, erroneous, erratic, eclectic, excessive, exact, established, empathetic, elated, Expectations, Ever after, Ember, Enter, Everything, Effort, Entrust, Everything, eventually, embrace, easy, echo, end, ego, Epiphany, Elephants, Elegant, Eggplant, Eclectic, Existence, Emulsified, education.

Love you guys! (now i need F)

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Angela was in a frenzy. It was the day of the Jeffersonian Christmas Party, and she was busy decorating and arranging, and ordering people to decorate and arrange.

Brennan and Booth didn't have a case, but were strolling around the lab talking and helping with preparations for the party. As they walked past the platform, they heard a hushed whisper.

"Psssttt!! Dr. B!" Brennan stopped walking and looked around.

"Where are you?" She whispered back. Booth was watching her curiously.

"In here!" The voice said. Before either of them could object, they were dragged into Hodgins' station. Hodgins and Zack were huddled in the small cubicle where they had just abducted the partners. Hodgins explained quickly.

"Angela is looking for people to help her. I wouldn't get in her way--"

"HODGIE! WHERE ARE YOU??" The group froze as the artist's shrill voice and trademark heel clicks were heard coming nearer.

"Oh no! Hide!" Zack squeaked, diving under a desk. Bren grabbed a beaker and pretended to be working. Booth hid in the corner, shrinking against the wall. Hodgins, having no where to hide, dove behind his chair. The clicking stopped.

"What the HELL are you guys doing?" Angela asked, looking around at everyone 'hiding' in the small space. Turning her evil 'I'm gonna make you work' eye on Booth and Brennan, she said,

"You two, come with me. Hodgie, Zack- can you go help put up mistletoe? Put it everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE!!..." She said cheerily as the boys slumped off. Angela tugged Booth and Brennan along behind her, talking as she went.

"I need you two to take this upstairs. They set up that huge conference room for the party." Angela pointed to a large keg. Booth's eyes widened. He had never seen a keg so big. It was a good three feet tall, and he probably couldn't get his arms around it. Shrugging, Booth leaned down and flipped it onto its side. It was very heavy.

"Bones? Help?" She shoved the beaker that was still in her hand into her pocket, and immediately went over to helped him to roll the keg to the nearest elevator.

"What do you think is in it?" Booth asked once the doors to the elevator had closed. They were standing on opposite sides of the keg. Booth punched the 'four' button and they started to rise.

"I don't know." Brennan replied.

They were jolted sideways as the car suddenly stopped. The lights flickered out and the car plummeted about ten feet before stopping with a twang of cable and a loud bang.

"Bones!" Came Booth's worried voice. "Bones, are you ok?!" A soft moan of pain was heard in the car. "Bones!" Booth yelled, his eyes still unadjusted to the dark as he felt around on the floor.

"Booth." She replied, her voice strained. "The keg is on my ankle."

"Ok, hold on." After some rustling, a flashlight clicked on.

"Where'd you get that?" Brennan asked as the mag light lit up the small space. Booth flashed her a charm smile, shrugging and spreading his arms in a 'What?' gesture.

"I'm FBI, Bones. Like a boyscout." Brennan frowned.

"I don't know what that means."

"Always prepared, Bones." Getting down to business, he examined the keg. "Ok, this might hurt a bit." Placing his hands on either side of the keg and the mag light in his mouth, Booth quickly rolled the keg off his partner's foot. She screamed as it jolted her already injured foot. Her scream subsided to a whimper as Booth rushed to her side.

"Bones! Oh God, Bones. Are you ok?" He immediately pulled her into his arms.

"I'm fine, Booth. I don't think it's broken, it just surprised me. Probably a sprain." She leaned down and examined her swollen ankle. Leaning back against Booth with a tired sigh, she let her head fall onto his shoulder as she looked at him upside down. "Now what?"

Booth rolled his eyes. _Leave it to Bones to downplay it and change the subject..._

"Well, let's see what we have for supplies. You don't know how long we'll be stuck here."

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB Ten minutes later

"One flashlight, my cell phone, your cell phone. A beaker. A keg of something. Anything else?" Booth asked, sitting with his back against the wall, Brennan still in his arms.

"I have a paper clip and a quarter in my pocket." She said.

"Oh, that'll help a lot." Booth said sarcastically.

"I wonder what's in the keg. Wanna crack it open?"

"Sure." He flashed the light in the direction of the keg, now upright again. There was a knob that you pulled that allowed for dispensing right from the keg. Booth grabbed the beaker and scooted over to it. Filling the beaker with something frothy, he returned to Brennan's side and held it out to her. Raising an eyebrow, she sniffed the drink slightly before taking a tentative sip. To Booth's surprise, she let out a giggle.

"Ohhhhh noooo..." She giggled. "This is nooottttt good."

"What's not good, Bones?" Booth asked, taking the beaker and taking a sip as well.

"It's Angela's Eggnog." Brennan explained.

"It tastes like regular eggnog. What's different about 'Angela's'?"

"Angela's is different because she laces it with pure alcohol, and lots of it. She KNOWS that it always makes me slightly... what's the word?"

"Drunk?"

"No." She said, slapping him on the arm. "Tipsy."

"Wonderful." Booth mumbled. "I'm stuck in an elevator with a soon to be 'tipsy' anthropologist and a large keg of a very alcoholic eggnog. What to do?" He asked, grinning to show he was teasing.

"We drink." Brennan said, raising the beaker in a mock toast before guzzling the remainder of the drink in her glass. Refilling it for them, Booth agreed.

"We drink."

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

"So, know any drinking games?" Booth asked, after they had finished a few glasses of eggnog.

"Oh! I know one! You toss a quarter into the glass, and if you get it in, the other person has to drink. If you miss, you drink. See, that quarter that you deemed useless will come in handy!" Brennan explained triumphantly.

"Alright, you're on."

Brennan picked up the quarter and, muttering about wind speed and angles, tried to flip the quarter into the beaker. She missed, and drank a full glass of eggnog. Refiling it for Booth, she handed him the quarter. He made it, and she drank again. It wasn't long before Brennan had absolutely no control and couldn't even figure out how to flip the quarter. Booth, a little more sober than Bren, had taken the opportunity to wrap his arms around her and pull her into his lap. She yelped a bit when her ankle was turned- reminding both of them of their situation. Luckily, the alcohol was acting as a pain reliever as she couldn't feel anything through the haze of being drunk.

Snuggled against her partner, Brennan started to ramble.

"You know, I never realllllyyyyy wanted a partner. Then you came along and BAM! I had a partner... and now wwwwweeeeeeeeee ummmm..." She hiccuped. "I really like you Booth. You are nice to me. Not like those other guys... David wasn't as nice as you and-" Hiccup, "Sully left with out mmeeeee. So I like youuuuu. Angela always says your hot... I aggggrrrreeeee..." Hiccup. Glancing up at Booth's lazy smile, she couldn't help but kiss him.

It was sloppy and uncoordinated due to the lack of fine motor skills on both ends, but they both felt the spark. Slipping her tongue into his mouth, Brennan moaned when Booth's hands ventured under her shirt. She unbuttoned the first button on his shirt, still kissing him hungrily.

Just then, Brennan's cell phone rang. Picking it up, she answered groggily. "Brrrrrrrrrrrrr..."

"Bren? Is that you?" Angela asked.

"Eeeeeennnnnnnn..."

"Brennan! Where are you?"

"Aaaaannnnnn!..."

"BRENNAN!" Hearing the artist struggling to get her attention, Booth ripped the phone out of Brennan's grip.

"Hey!" Brennan pouted, sinking back against Booth. While he talked, she traced the lines of his shirt, causing him to shiver deliciously.

"Angela, you still there?" Booth asked.

"Yes. Where the hell are you guys? The party started half an hour ago, and the boys are looking for the eggnog!"

"We're stuck in the elevator with the eggnog. And Bones has been drinking it..."

"Ahhh. That explains things. She can handle hard liquor, but can never handle my eggnog. Are you guys alright?" Angela asked, knowing how easily the partners could get in trouble.

"I think Bones has a sprained ankle- the keg rolled onto her leg when the car stopped. But other than that, we're drunk with eggnog in an elevator."

"Did you call maintenance and ask when they could get you out?" Angela asked.

"No... I think we were too busy playing tip the cup. Or shooting eggnog shots. We were too busy getting drunk, ok?" Booth finished quickly.

"Do you want me to call them and then call you back?" She offered.

"Sure. Thanks, Ange. We'd still be here tomorrow if you didn't call." Hanging up, Booth realized that Brennan had fallen asleep against him. Shifting into a more comfortable position, he kissed the top of her head and tightened his arms around his partner, closing his eyes as well.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Brennan had a very strange dream. She dreamed that she got stuck in an elevator with Booth. Opening one eye and stretching slightly, she froze when she realized that her 'pillow' was not in fact, her _pillow._

Opening the other eye, she looked around. Blinking in the light that was streaming through the elevator doors, she tried to sit up. Yelping when her ankle bumped into the wall, she took in her surroundings.

So, it wasn't a dream. She WAS in an elevator- of which the doors were open. Booth was tangled up with her, his arms wrapped around her middle and his leg hooked around hers. There was a keg standing outside the doors. Poking Booth in the side, she tried to wake him.

"Booth, wake up."

He groaned and flung a hand over his eyes. "Five minutes, Bones." He mumbled sleepily.

"Booth, get up." Brennan said again.

"I'm not stopping you. Go ahead and get up yourself." Booth said.

"Yes, you are stopping me. I have a sprained ankle and I can't move when you hold on to me like that." She said, causing his eyes to shoot open.

"Hold onto you like-- Ahhh!" Booth jumped backwards- or attempted to. His grip on her waist was so tight that he ended up pulling her with him.

"Not helping, Booth. Can we get out of here? I think I've had enough of elevators for a while. And I have a killer hangover." Brennan mumbled.

"Sure. How are we going to do this?" Booth asked, gesturing between them. Brennan raised an eyebrow. "I'll just carry you." Booth said quickly. Picking her up bridal style, he made his way out of the elevator. As Brennan clung to his neck, Booth carried her down the stairs to the lab. When they entered the glass doors, a yell rang through the lab.

"BOOTH! BREN! YOU'RE OK!" Angela shrieked, running over to them. "You missed one hell of a party."

Brennan and Booth locked eyes, grinning. "So did you."


	6. F is for Family and Foster Days

F is for Falling Fast from Foster Homes or Family

Thank you to **Laby Anne Boleyn **(again!) for suggesting 'Fall', which eventually got me thinking of this shot. To everyone, I'm sorry about the wait. I was having some writers block, and then went on vacation for a bit and didn't have time to write.

F is also for: French fries, fun, fluffy, father, Fire, Fast, Forensics!, Fine, Fourth of July, French Kiss, fear, fun, freaking, fur, French, Friday, Frog, Fire, Flirting, FBI, Forever, Faith, furry, film, Fit, Feed, fall, find, Far, Friend, Front, favorite, family, fancy, flattery, fat, far fall, foot, fan, farther, finger, friend, foxy, filandering, flailing, frowning, folly, fresh, fantastic, fear, fail, forget, fumble, fight. There is also one more word that I could put in for F, but for the sake of keeping this T (ish), I'll just say that it has four letters and leave it at that. ;)

I have G partially written already, but need some ideas for the end, so keep it up with the words! G will be for Guitar, or Guitar Lessons. I haven't decided yet. Even if it's something crazy like 'gumballs' I want to know your 'G' words! I love reading them – you guys always make me laugh!

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Booth watched as she nibbled half-heartedly on one of his fries.

"You have to eat, Bones." He said encouragingly. Brennan looked up at him. Her expression was vacant and her eyes tired.

"I'm not hungry." She said, returning to picking at her food.

"Ok," Booth said, not about to be detoured by her sullen attitude. "Why don't you tell me what the squints found out before I dragged you to lunch?"

"We got an ID." She responded, not looking at him.

"That's great! Who is it?"

"No, it's not 'great'. She was someone. Not something to throw away like the trash bags they gave us. Not something to take your anger out on. She was a girl and it wasn't her fault she was placed in an abusive family. Not all of us got lucky!" Brennan finished angrily. Getting up, she left her uneaten meal and stomped out the door with her hands shoved deep in her pockets. Booth threw some bills on the table and rushed after her. He found her already in his SUV, stony silent and staring out the window. Knowing that she would only clam up if he asked what had just happened, Booth started the car and drove to the Jeffersonian without comment.

They walked into the lab side by side, Booth's arm slung around Brennan's shoulders. He didn't know what had caused her outburst, but he did know that she needed the closeness and comfort. Heading up the steps to the platform where th rest of the squints were sitting around talking, Booth pulled his partner closer, tugging her into his side before addressing everyone.

"Bones tells me you have an ID."

After raising an eyebrow at the duo's apparent lack of a personal bubble, Angela turned her sketch book so that they could see it. The face of a very young girl shown back at them. Soft brown hair framed an athletic face, and Angela had given the girl startlingly blue eyes that made her look wise beyond her teenage years.

Booth felt his hear soften and turn to ice in the same moment. How could someone do this to such a beautiful young girl? He looked at the pile of bones on the lab table, and then back to the drawing. Closing his eyes he made a silent promise. _I will find out who did this to you. _It was a promise he made every case, and one he had yet to break. Sighing, he pulled out his notebook.

"Name?" Hodgins quickly consulted a piece of paper in his hands, but Brennan got there first.

"Jackie Procket. Fostered by Mark King at the age of 9 after both parents died in a car crash. Mark King was, and still is, an abusive son of a bitch. He has been arrested on several accounts of assault and always gets away with it because he has friends in high places of the state police. She was most likely killed with a crow bar."

Everyone was gaping at her.

"You sure did your research, Bones. I'm impressed." Booth said as he jotted down the information. "Did we get Jackie's file?" Zack reached over and grabbed the manila folder, handing it to Booth. Flipping through it briefly, he closed it and his notebook. "Great job, guys. Keep it up. I just have to run to the office real quick, ok? Be back soon."

The team watched Booth's retreat before breaking off to do their own work. Angela headed to her office and Jack to his station. Zack, however, stayed to continue examining the bones. After a few moments he looked up, surprised to see Brennan staring at the remains, tears in her eyes. He understood immediately and knew what she needed. Scurrying off the platform, he went to his office, grabbed something off his desk and hurried back.

"Dr. Brennan?" He asked tentatively. Her eyes snapped up to his.

"Yes Zack?"

Shifting nervously, Zack decided to just be blunt. "Here." He held out the small box that was in his hands. She took it, turning it over.

It was an ordinary cardboard box, about two inches square. Brennan looked up at Zack in confusion.

"What's it for?"

Taking a breath, Zack explained. "You often tell me to put my heart in a box. Being a very literal person, sometimes it takes me a while to figure these things out. Take the box. Carry it with you, and whenever you feel it in your pocket, you will remember that your heart is in that box and that you cannot open it until after the case. Does that make sense?" Zack asked, finishing his explanation. "I know you can't ACTUALLY put your heart in a box, but-"

"Thank you Zack." Brennan cut him off, smiling sincerely. Leaning over, she gave him a quick hug. Tucking the box into her pocket, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. "It's perfect."

Teacher and student shared an understanding, empathetic look before Brennan spoke again.

"Shall we?" She asked, as if they were simply waling down the street, not hovering over a dead body. Nodding, Zack started to spout his observations.

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Booth returned two hours later. Hopping up the steps to the platform, he only found Zack working.

"Hey Zack." He said by way of greeting. "You seen Bones?"

"She's asleep in her office." Zack responded, not looking up from the body.

"Ok, thanks." Booth said, turning to go. Remembering what Bones had told him, he patted the young doctor on the shoulder with an open hand. "Keep up the good work." Missing the slightly astonished look from Zack at actually being acknowledged by the Agent, Booth hurried to his partner's office.

Sure enough, she was asleep. Curled on her couch, she clutched a small box in her hand. Smiling, Booth sat down next to her. Reaching a hand out, he brushed a lock of hair out of her face. Woken by the movement, Brennan stirred. Opening her eyes she saw Booth smiling back at her and she wordlessly reached out a hand for him.

"What?" Booth asked, confused as to what she wanted him to do.

"You look exhausted." She said sleepily, reaching for him again. "Come here." Understanding her need for closeness, and being dam tired, he complied, motioning for her to scoot over. "I can't move over any more, it's a couch." She pointed out.

"Just get up for a second." She did, and watched as he lay down, stretching out on the couch on his side.

"Now come here." Once again she listened, lying next to him. He immediately wrapped around an arm around her waist, keeping her on the couch with him. _Yeah right. You just want her against you._

With her back firmly to his chest, Brennan snuggled against her Agent, nuzzling his arm which she was using for a pillow. Comfy at last, she let out a deep sigh, relaxing all her muscles simultaneously. Closing her eyes, she mumbled something.

"What you say?" Booth murmured against her ear, already starting to be lulled to sleep by the sound of her breathing.

"I said you're a good pillow. Warm and..." She thought for a moment, trying to find the right word. "Comfy." She decided, nuzzling closer.

Slightly amused by her answer but to tired and too distracted by her closeness to care, Booth simply mumbled a 'That's good to know' before drifting off to sleep. Brennan soon joined him and their breathing leveled off, synchronizing unconsciously.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

"Sweetie? You in yet?" Angela asked loudly, skipping into her best friend's office. "The boys need your help with something."

The sight that reached her stopped her in her tracks. Bren had her face buried in Booth's neck, their arms and legs tangled around each other as they slept peacefully on her couch.

_Oh my god! Look at them! Ahhhhh!!!! Finally! _Angela said, containing a squeal. Jumping up and down, she clapped her hands together. Just as she was getting to the good part of her victory dance, a voice broke through her fluffy daze.

"Ange? What the hell are you doing?"

It was Brennan, who had shifted in Booth's arms to look at her ecstatically happy friend.

"You... him- B- Booth!" Angela stuttered, having a hard time getting the words to come out right. Brennan raised an eyebrow in confusion before leaning over and poking Booth in the shoulder. He groaned and tightened his arms around her.

"I'm sleeping, Bones. Go away." He mumbled.

"Booth, Angela is hopping up and down in my office and we have to get up to solve this case. So no, you are not sleeping." Her bossy voice caused him to open his eyes and mock glare at her.

"Someone's not a morning person, I see. Fine, I'll get up and go grab some breakfast for everyone, if you insist." Booth said, sitting up and stretching.

"Yes, I do insist."

Grumbling about bossy partners, Booth got up off the couch, running a hand through his mused hair and stretching more than he could on the couch. Sending a meaningful look at Brennan, he said,

"I'll be back in a bit. Call me if the guys find anything." And then he was gone.

Turning to Angela, Brennan asked, "So what did you wake us up for?"

"Oh..." Angela thought hard to remember why she HAD come into her friend's office. "Oh... the boys want to show you something. I think they want to drag you into one of their experiments." Yawning, Brennan got up off the couch as well and slumped out to the lab.

"Dr. Brennan! Over here!" Came Jack's beckoning call. Looking around, she spotted his waving hand from the pathology lab. _Uh oh. Cam will skin them alive if they blow up her lab. _Scurrying over to them, she pulled her hair into a pony tail.

"What's up?" Zack and Jack glanced nervously at each other before Zack spoke.

"We have an experiment that we thought you might be interested in."

"Me? But you always do the experiments." Brennan asked incredulously.

"Exactly! We want you to... experience the wonders of whacking a block of wood with a crowbar." Brennan raised an eyebrow as Jack thrust a crowbar into her hands, pointing to the block of wood on the floor. Twirling the crowbar expertly in her hands, Brennan shot the boys a wicked smirk before swinging the tool towards the floor.

It hit with a satisfying 'whack' and there was an even more satisfying crunching of wood when she pulled the embedded metal out of the block. Bringing it down again, she continued to hack at the wood until her arms became tired. Handing the bar to Zack, who replaced the wood and did same, she stood back to watch him.

An hour later, the three sat exhausted on the floor of the pathology lab, happily eating bagels that Booth had brought the team.

"And what did we gain from that?" Brennan asked, mouth full of cream cheese.

"Well," Jack started, swallowing a large bite before tearing into it once more. "It was pretty dam fun, and if I may say so, stress relieving. But looking at these marks, I'd have to say that the girl was defiantly killed on a soft surface, most likely dirt or sand. See where the wood is chipped?" He asked, pointing to a few spots on the boards. "That mark was NOT found on her body, and it shows that the surface was too hard."

"Wow." Brennan breathed, impressed. "So you don't just do these things to grind up pigs and grow sea monkeys?"

"Nope. There's a method to our madness. So... you seem to know this guy, is there anywhere that he is close to that is a beach? Because earlier I was trying to place some particulates, and now that you mention the beach... it fits. She was killed on a beach." Hodgins said, thinking to himself.

"Dr. Brennan?" Zack asked, looking at Brennan's pale face.

"I know where we have to go." She said quickly before scurrying out of the lab.

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"BOOTH!!" Brennan yelled through the lab. "Where are you?"

"In here." He said, poking his head out of her office. "What's up?"

"Booth, we have to go. NOW." She said frantically, grabbing his arm and trying to tug him out the door.

"Bones, wait. Where are we going? What's wrong?" Booth said, trying to stop her.

"I know where he is. We have to go now!"

"Woah, slow down! Where who is?"

"Mark, that bastard! Come _on!_"Rolling his eyes, Booth allowed himself to be pulled out the door to his SUV. Brennan gave him general directions to head to the Virginian coast, and they were off.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB Two hours later, in front of a small beach house

As soon as the car was stopped at their destination, Brennan jumped out and stormed to the door. She was pounding on the door when Booth caught up with her.

"Mark! You son of a bitch, I know you're in there!" She yelled at the door. All of a sudden it was yanked open.

"What the hell do you want, Tempe?!" The man in the doorway screamed back. Brennan was shaking with anger.

"How could you? You killed Jackie after I left?! You are worse than I thought! They told me she ran away when I tried to get her out of here!!" Brennan spat at him. Mark's hand flew out to slap her, but she was quicker. Grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back, she shoved him roughly against the door frame, snarling, her voice deadly low.

"That's not going to work anymore, Mark. Just because you think you're the 'King' doesn't mean I'm going to take it. I ought to kill you right here."

Booth took that as a cue to intervene. "Ok Bones. I can take it from here." He said, tugging his handcuffs out of his belt. Her wild eyes met his and she relaxed slightly. She held out her hands for the cuffs, which he gave to her. Cuffing Mark's hands so that they were twisted painfully, she shoved him out the door towards Booth before whipping around and disappearing into the house.

"Bones! Wait for me!" Booth yelled, quickly cuffing Matt to his SUV before running after her.

She sprinted up the stairs to Jackie's old room. Slowly pushing open the heavy door, she scanned the room. A small boy sat huddled on his bed. When she moved towards him, he let out a shriek and buried further into his blankets.

"Shhhh. I'm not going to hurt you." She soothed, reaching for the three or four year old. When he looked up and realized that she didn't look like a threat, he held out his arms to her. Picking him up and cradling him to her, Brennan asked softly.

"What's your name?"

"Maffew." The little boy said, his thumb in his mouth.

"Matthew? That's a very big name. You must be very brave to have a name like that." Tempe said in a motherly tone. Matthew nodded.

"I'm Temperance. That's also a big name, but I'm not as brave as you." When he continued to suck his thumb contentedly, she asked. "Is there anyone else here? Any other kids?" Matthew shook his head. Sighing in relief, Brennan hoisted him onto her hip and carried him out of the bedroom as Booth came barreling up the stairs.

"Bones! Don't _ever _do that again! You have to wait for ME to clear the house, ok?" Booth said accusingly. His anger evaporated when he finally noticed the child in her arms. "How did you?-" He started, but she shook her head.

"I'll explain later. Let's just get out of here, ok?" Nodding, Booth lead the way back to the SUV. They got in the car and headed off to the Hoover building to drop off Mark. But he wasn't going quietly.

"So, Tempe. You decided to just show up and ruin my fun. Take my kid and everything." Mark taunted from the backseat. Brennan, who was still holding Matthew, turned around.

"You and I both know dam well that he's not your kid. You had no right. Now, shut up before I break your nose." She threatened.

"I'm really scared, Tempe." He muttered sarcastically. "It's not like _you _ever fought back."

She had spun around and smashed her hand into his nose before he even had a chance to blink. "Like that was my fault. I was there for Jackie." She spat at him, her voice deadly low. Turning back to a sleeping Matthew, she silently declared that the rest of the ride was to be silent. None of the men in the car objected.

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"Bones, we need to talk." Booth said, walking into her office where she was playing with Matthew. FBI had gotten custody of him, and Brennan volunteered to watch him until they located his family. She looked up sheepishly.

"You read his file?"

"Yes, and I really want to know how your judgment could be THAT bad."

"Alright." She sighed, gesturing to the couch. Adjusting a happy Matthew in her lap, she started to explain. "Sit." He sat. "I was 18, just out of the system. Mark seemed like a nice guy, so I went to dinner with him. He invited me back to his place, and I declined. The next thing I knew I woke up there anyway. I was in the room, the one I found Mattie in."

Booth raised an eyebrow. "Mattie? Getting a little attached, are we?" Brennan shushed him with a wave of her hand. "I'll explain that too. Just listen."

"I woke up in that room, and looked around. A girl, maybe 11, was watching me from her bed. She introduced herself as Jackie. We were in that room for a good twenty four hours together before he came back, and in result became good friends. I offered to get her away from Mark, and we started to form this plan- she would pass as my sister, and we would get an apartment together. Anything to get away from Mark. I soon found out that Mark was an abusing rapist."

"In order for us both to run away, I was going to need to go out and set some things up. Mark told me that he would kill her if I left. She-... she-.." Brennan trailed off, sniffling, tears now streaming down her face. "She told me to go, to leave her. She said it was ok, and that she would sacrifice herself so that I could get away. Of course I didn't do that. One night, a year or so later, I snuck out to go grab some extra food for us. Mark wasn't giving us enough to eat. I came back, and Mark told me that she had run away."

"I was shocked. We were going to leave together! But at the same time, I was happy that she took the opportunity to get away. I left the next day, and informed Social Services that he was a horrible foster father. They didn't believe me, as I had no evidence. They believed Mark's story that she had run away, and closed the file."

"All these years, I thought she got away. But it was my fault. I left and he killed her." She was sobbing full out now. Matthew reached up a small hand and grabbed her hand.

"It's ok, Tempe." He mumbled before snuggling closer and drifting off to sleep.

Sniffing and hugging the little boy closer to her, she continued.

"That's why I submitted an adoption form for Mattie. He has no family. Mark always picks the ones that he knows won't be missed. I will do everything in my power to make sure he suffers." Booth had sat silent, a worried and concerned look on his face through the whole story.

"Bones, I-" He was cut off by his phone ringing. Shooting her an apologetic look, Booth answered it.

"Booth. Yes. Yes sir, I'll be there." Hanging up, he turned to Brennan.

"I have to go, Cullen wants me to do the interrogation. I'll be back in an hour or so to take you two for pie, ok?" He leaned down and kissed her forehead, while ruffling Mattie's hair. "No, Bones. You stay here. Let me handle this one." He added at her pouting look.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Brennan woke up on her couch, Mattie in her arms. Glancing at the clock, she noticed that only a few hours had passed. Picking up the sleeping boy, she walked over to her desk. She chuckled when she saw her computer monitor.

Taped to the screen was a beautiful drawing of her and Mattie sleeping, with Angela's signature and a note at the bottom.

_Don't worry, Sweetie. We're here for you._

The rest of her monitor was covered in various sticky notes. Leaning closer, she read a few.

_Call me when you guys wake up! I want pie! Booth_

_Hey Dr. B! When you get a chance can you come to exam room three? Oh, and don't tell Cam. Don't worry, it's not __REALLY illegal. Hodgins_

_Dr. Brennan- You can keep the box. Trust me, it will help. Addy_

_BBBBBoooonnnnneeessssss. Wake up! I still want pie! Booth_

_We got him! He's got life in jail! Woo hoo! Call me! Booth_

Smiling, Temperance Brennan adjusted the child on her hip. She knew that she would be ok if she had her family. With them, she could get through anything.


	7. G is for Gabbing To Giraffes

G is for talking to Giraffes

Thank you to **dawnmei **for suggesting 'giraffe'.

G is also for: Good, grape, grad, graduation, green, grope, grovel, grant, grip, griddle, girl, God, gore, garden gnomes, guest, gentleman, galloping, grand, grapple, gorgeous, grieve, 'Girl On The Moon' by Foreigner, gifts, grins, Gotcha, and guts.

BTW, ick on the ending to this one. I couldn't think of anything... so tell me what you think of it. I decided to toss my half written shot on guitar, because this just seemed so much more fun.

Wow! Two in a row! Now i REALLY need H. I have no idea for it.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Temperance Brennan pressed herself flat against the wall. Poking her head around the corner, she pulled it back when she saw that he was in Angela's office, talking to Angela herself. Before either of them looked up she scurried past the door, took a right, and ran through a maintenance door. Taking the back way and creeping through the various janitor hallways, she managed to get to the other side of the building without being followed. Breathing a sigh of relief, she went out a back door and headed down the alleyway.

It started to rain. Winding her way through the maze of alleys and streets, she came up to the back door of a restaurant. Knocking, she waited for someone to come out. She looked up when the door opened.

"Hey Smoke. Want that seat in the back?"

Smiling, she answered, shaking the rain off and stepping through the doorway. "That would be great, Sid." He followed her to her seat, and watched as she sat down.

"Did you run from him again?" Sid asked. Brennan looked up at him sheepishly.

"Not exactly _run. _More like avoid. . ." She paused, thinking. "Ok, maybe I ran a bit. But come on! I haven't seen him in a year. I just can't face him yet." She finished with a sigh, burying her head in her arms. "What am I supposed to do, Sid?"

Sid studied her for a minute before snapping his fingers in an 'Aha!' gesture. "I know just what you need." He walked away to get her food as Brennan sat deep in thought.

_A year. I know that he had no choice – it was undercover work. But how can I face him now? I'm still here. I didn't do anything in the last year. He's going to take one look at me and think 'Wow, she's still a dam workaholic. She has no life.'_

Sighing, Brennan propped her chin in her hand and closed her eyes.

"Here's your food, Smoke." Brennan opened her eyes as Sid placed a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich in front of her. Smiling, she picked up her spoon.

"Why do you call me Smoke? At least 'Bones' makes sense." She asked, starting in on her food.

"Because you're like smoke. If you don't want to be found, no one's going to find you." Sid teased, chuckling.

"But Smoke-" He paused, voice now serious as he waited for her to look him in the eye. "He's not going to give up until he catches _this _smoke" He pointed at her dramatically. "With his bare hands." Winking, he walked away to attend to some new customers. Shaking her head at the innuendo Brennan went back to her meal. _Is the whole world trying to get me and Booth together?_

She had just finished her soup when she heard the sound of the restaurant door opening. Looking up she froze, like a deer in the headlights, when she saw who it was. Their eyes connected, his lighting up and hers clouding. He called out to her.

"Bones!"

But she was already out the door.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

"Hey Ange." He said quietly, knocking lightly on her door. When she looked up and saw who it was, her jaw dropped and she let out a laugh of disbelief.

"Well if it isn't Seeley Booth. Where the hell have you been?" Angela asked, getting up to hug him.

"Undercover, but you knew that. We got the guy so I'm back for good." He said with a smile. "Where's Bones? I didn't see her up on the platform."

Angela's smile faded. "I don't think you're going to find her."

"Why?" He asked, confused.

"She shut down when we found out you were undercover. She still gets her work done, but I know from the security tapes that she spends most of her time wandering. She probably knows every nook and cranny of this place now, and when she got bored with that, she started wandering the streets." Angela looked up at his shocked face and chuckled. "I know, it sounds crazy. But she'll give you the slip anywhere now. I tried to find her about a month after you left. She was right in front of me one second, and then I blinked and she was gone."

They sat in silence, thinking, until Booth's head snapped up. He whipped around and stared at the door.

_I could have sworn I saw. . . _He thought, but shrugged it off. "Wanna go grab some lunch? I'm starving."

"Sure, let me get the guys. Wong Foo's sound good?"

Ten minutes later they pushed open the door to Wong Foo's. Booth walked in first, his hands in his pockets and his head low. The hair on the back of his neck prickled familiarly. Looking around, he spotted her. Their eyes locked.

"Bones!" He called, starting towards her.

"G-man!" Sid called at the same time. The two seconds it took for him to glance at Sid was all the time it took for her to get away.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB Later that night, about 10:00 at Wong Foo's

"You didn't need to distract him. I would have gotten away." Brennan said, sipping her beer. Sid leaned his arms on the bar.

"I know that, Smoke. But I could also see how jumpy you were today. I was just helping out."

Brennan absentmindedly swirled her drink, chewing on her lip. "I know I can't run from him forever. We work together."

"Take the day off tomorrow and think about what you're going to do. If you get hungry you can always stop in here." Sid suggested.

Brennan chuckled. "Isn't that what I did today? Cam will fire me if I keep sneaking off like this."

"I heard from a little bird that you sneak off often." He said.

"Is that little bird's name Angela?"

"You got me ther-" Sid stopped, looking up at the door which had just opened. A very depressed and tired looking Booth trudged through the door. Looking up he saw Brennan, once again frozen in place.

"Bones..." Booth started cautiously, not wanting to scare her into bolting again. When she rose from her seat and started backing away, he put his hands in front of him to try to show her that he wasn't going to hurt her. "Bones, I just want to talk, ok?" He said calmly, like he was trying to talk a vicious dog out of biting him. He could almost hear himself saying 'Nice doggie. That's a good doggie'.

She shook her head, eyes wide before turning and sprinting out the back door.

"Bones!" Booth yelled, tearing after her. The back door banged shut behind him as he found himself in a small alleyway. "Temperance!" But it was no use. She was gone.

Booth stomped back into the empty restaurant in a huff, sat down on her abandoned bar stool and drank the rest of her beer. Motioning to Sid, he only started to talk after he had another in his hand.

"Why is she avoiding me? I thought she'd be happy to see me." He asked, swirling his beer just as Brennan had minutes ago. Sid smiled, shaking his head at the agent. _This what they call dumb love._

"She's scared, Booth." Sid said.

Something struck Booth as odd, and his protective streak flared up. "How come she talks to you and not me? That's the second time today that I've seen her in here." He asked huffily.

"When you left, she came here. I brought comfort food, and she just curled up in that back booth and cried. I've never seen her break down like that." He said with a sad smile. "There was no one else in here- it was kind of late at night. I went over and started talking to her, now when she needs a place to hide she comes here. It's not like she can hide in her office." Sid finished explaining.

"If you see her in here again, will you call me? I really need to talk to her. I need to figure out what's wrong." Booth asked.

"Of course I'll call you, but I think the only way that you're going to catch Smoke is to grab her and never let her go." Booth frowned in confusion.

"Literally or figuratively?" He asked.

Sid laughed. "_That _my friend, is up to you."

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB The next day. The great Brennan hunt.

"Ok Ange, I've checked her place, Wong Foo's, her office. Do you have ANY idea where she might run?" Booth asked, getting desperate. The artist looked up from the TV.

"I already told you, you're not going to catch her." Angela said, turning back to the TV, which was showing the news, and the opening of a new giraffe exhibit at the National Zoo. Booth turned to watch with her, thinking hard to try to figure out where his partner might go. All of a sudden a familiar figure appeared on the screen.

"That's her!" He said excitedly. Angela looked to where his finger was pointing to the TV. Sure enough, Brennan was there, leaning causally against a wall outside the crowd in front of the giraffe exhibit. "I have to go Ange." He said quickly, and then he was out the door.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB Giraffe exhibit, National Zoo

Temperance leaned against the railing, watching the giraffes. She didn't know why she had come to the zoo. . . it seemed so silly now.

"What am I going to do now?" She asked the giraffe. It tilted it's head to the side and continued chewing on it's chunk of grass. It let out a snort and shook it's head. "Yeah, that's what I thought too."

She suddenly froze when she felt someone behind her. Spinning around she came face to face with Seeley Booth. He put his hands on either side of the railing, effectively trapping her in.

"Hello, Bones. So nice of you to avoid me." He said calmly as she crossed her arms and glared at him.

"I don't want to talk to you, Booth." She said stubbornly, her voice cold.

"Why? What did I ever do to you?"

Brennan rolled her eyes before ducking out from under his arms. "Figure it out, genius."

"Seriously, Bones. I don't know what I did!" He called at her retreating back. Jogging to keep up with her, he added. "And don't try to run because I'll just catch you again." Brennan laughed.

"I highly doubt that."

"Oh yeah? You _don't _want me to go Ranger on your ass." He said, dead serious as he fell into stride beside her. They were out of the zoo now, strolling down the street.

"And you don't want me to disappear off the face of the earth, so can we come to an agreement here? Just leave me alone." She said, taking a turn down an alleyway. He followed.

"Disappear? Even you couldn't hide from me, Bones." Booth said wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Surprisingly, she let him.

"Yes I can, Booth. I know the city pretty well now." She replied.

"So I've heard. Angela told me that you wander the streets. Do you bring your gun with you when you go off on your little adventures?" He asked.

"No I don't, Mr. Alpha Male. I can defend myself."

"Bones! You can't just go wandering D.C without protection. You know better than anyone what happens to people out there." Booth said angrily.

"I can easily lose someone. You've seen me fight, I'm no pushover."

"I _know _that Bones. It doesn't mean someone can't jump you from behind or-"

"You just walk out of my life, and then come back and expect to run it? I don't think so." Brennan said angrily, shoving his arm off her shoulder and stalking ahead of him. Making a turn, she ducked inside a small alley where she knew she could lose him.

"Bones!" Booth yelled as soon as she gave him the slip. "I know you can hear me, dammit! What did I do?" Turning in circles to try to find out where she went, he continued. "Please, Temperance. Talk to me." He was begging now, and it was breaking her heart. "Bones!. . . Bones, please. . . please."Sighing quietly to herself, she stepped out of the alley and tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped and spun to face her.

"Does this at least prove that I can get away from you if I really want to?"

He sighed in relief and surprised her by grabbing her in a crushing hug. "Don't EVER do that again. You scared me." He mumbled into her hair.

"You scared me more. I had to find out from Cullen that you were undercover." Now blinking back tears, Tempe buried her face in his neck and yelled angrily at him, the hurt clear in her voice. "I didn't even get to say goodbye. I thought you were dead! No call, no note, no nothing. A whole year, Booth. I missed you so-" She tightened her arms around him, now gripping his shirt desperately. "Dam much. So dam much." A tear escaped down her cheek.

"Shhh. It's ok Bones." He soothed. "Just next time, please come talk to _me, _and not to the giraffe, ok?" Brennan raised her head and her eyebrows.

"I was _not _talking to the giraffe! I was observing!" She said indignantly.

"Mmm hmmm. Sure. I saw you." Booth teased, adopting a high pitched voice. "What am I going to do, Mr. Giraffe? Please solve all my problems, Mr.-"

"I did NOT!" Brennan repeated, slapping him in the chest as she blushed.

"Oh yes you did. Now will you please come back to the lab with me? Or do I have to black mail you?" Booth asked.

Brennan raised herself to her full hight so that they were nose to nose. "What have you got?"

"You talk to giraffes."

"Well you talk in your sleep." She retorted. Booth's eyes went wide.

"What did I say?!" He asked quickly.

"Nothing, nothing." She said, smiling triumphantly.

"Yeah, well you do the cutest thing when you're thinking. Your face gets all concentrated and you bite your lip and you tap your fingers on the table. Oh! And if you're holding a pencil or something you'll click it against your teeth until you come up with the answer you're looking for." Brennan blinked.

"Aren't you supposed to be _working, _Seeley Booth? Not watching me?" She asked teasingly. "And I am NOT cute."

"Of _course _you aren't, Bones." He said, chuckling. Slinging his arm around her waist, he started walking again. Brennan rolled her eyes and went willingly, silently thanking the giraffe for helping him to find her.


	8. H is for Hotblooded

H is for Hotblooded.

H is also for : Happy, hallucination, Hot, Hell, Heat, help, hate, ham, heaven, hold, Harry Potter, hair, happy, hands, hop, Hoo Boy is this getting Hot!, heaven, haven, hopping bunnies, hickey, hunt/ing/er, hotel, heavenly, hamster, hamlet, house, home, health, hospital, hangover, hate, harm, heat, hectic, holiday, hear, here, her, his, Harley, Hypothesis, Hiccups, hem, hag, heart, hope, held, hero, heroine, hurt, hell, hello, hate, hair, husband, heavy, hill, hypothermia, hare, help, handsome, human, hole, hop, hilarious, huff, hallway, heatwave, heart attack, hill, high, helicopter, Hilary Clinton, heart, hold, handkerchief, hog, hyper, hubby, Halo, hippo, hungry, humerus, hound dog, hurry, hardhat, healing, and hot chocolate.

I know that I haven't written in a while, and I'm really sorry. To make it up to you, I will be posting 'I' and 'J' in quick succession. I hope I still have some readers out there. The problem I had was I had 'I' and 'J' written, but not 'H'. And since I have to go in order, I was having some 'H' writer's block.

Thank you EVERYONE for reviewing. I have one small complaint... when you suggest words, can you separate them by a comma like I have them above? Please? I copy and paste all of the suggestions, and it is easier if I don't have to go through and delete a thousand "Quotes" or other funky symbols. Thanks! --I didn't know Brennan's address, so I made one up. Thank you to **CheeseBK **for the pudding idea. And a shoutout to everyone who suggested 'Hot'. There were a lot of you!

(-----------------------)

_Well I'm HOTBLOODED_

_Check it and see_

_I've got a fever of a hundred and three_

The call from David had been awkward at the least. Now they were standing there, music still blasting and not sure of what to do next. Deciding to break the tension, Booth asked the first thing that came into his head.

"You have anything to drink? Water, juice?" He threw in a charm smile just because. Brennan smiled hesitantly back.

"Sure, let me go get it." Booth watched her start for the kitchen. Normally he would have argued that he wasn't a guest and she didn't have to serve him, but he wanted to take another look through her music collection.

Booth was flipping past 'Green Day' when he heard the explosion. Whipping around and sprinting towards the kitchen, he dropped to an unconscious Brennan's side and, after after hauling the door off her small frame, proceeded to pat the flames away with his jacket. Dragging her into his lap, he put two fingers to her neck to check her pulse. It was weak but there. He put his ear next to her nose. There was no sound of breathing.

"Hang in there, Bones." He pleaded, starting CPR.

Growing more desperate with every minute that passed, Booth continued to breathe for her. Finally, a few minutes later she started coughing from the smoke.

"Shhh..." Booth soothed, wrapping his arms around her and rocking her back and forth. "You're safe. I've got you."

Brennan whimpered and curled a hand around the material of his shirt before passing out again. Booth cradled her to his chest while calling 911 on his cell phone.

"911, what's your emergency?" A bored female voice asked.

"I need an ambulance to Riverside, apartment 2B. There's been an explosion."

"Right away, sir. And try to remain calm-" Booth didn't hear her advice as he had already flipped his phone shut. Opening it again he dialed Cullen.

"Cullen."

"Sir, it's Booth. Can you send a forensics's team to Dr. Brennan's apartment?"

"Yes. What happened? Can't you call Dr. Brennan herself?" Cullen asked, confused.

"There was a bomb in her fridge. She's unconscious." Booth explained, clutching her tighter to him.

"Jesus." He heard Cullen mutter. "I heard the call that there was a bomb, but didn't know it was you. Are you hurt?"

Booth answered no, but his mind was telling him different. _My other half is hurt. _He thought.

(-----------------------------)

The next three hours Booth spent on auto pilot. The ambulance arrived and the EMT's started to work on Brennan. Soon after, the FBI forensics's team showed up and Booth immediately started giving out orders.

"I want ALL particulates and samples sent to the Jeffersonian!" He barked as they got to work. "Don't miss a square _inch _of this kitchen!! I want to know who planted that bomb! And I want the report on my desk YESTERDAY!" A voice interrupted Booth's tirade.

"Agent Booth? Are you coming with us?" He turned around to see a young EMT at the door. Nodding, he followed him to where Brennan was strapped to a stretcher. He didn't remember much of the ride to the hospital other than the feel of her heartbeat against his palm as he held her hand.

He filled out forms for another half hour. Then it was sit and wait time.

Two hours of worrying later, he was aloud to see her.

"She should wake up within the next 24 hours." The doc informed him before leaving him alone with his partner.

Just seeing her made his heard ache. Hooked up to wires, tubes and IV's, beeping machines and monitors, she looked like death warmed over.

Sitting beside her and taking her hand, Booth finally let the events of the day catch up with him as he drifted off to sleep slouched half on the bed and half on the hard plastic chair. Once again, he held her hand and let her gentle heartbeat calm him.

(---------------9am, Next day-----------------)

"Sweetie!" A worried Angela shrieked, running into Bren's hospital room. The anthropologist woke with a start, but the FBI agent that was currently curled next to her, slept on.

"Shhh. You'll wake him up." Brennan warned.

"Sorry!" Ange apologized. "But sweetie – what happened? We got a call this morning from Cullen. He said you were both in the hospital and I rushed over here without waiting for the full story..."

"Honestly, I don't know what happened. All I remember is going to the fridge to get something for Booth-" She paused. "Did my fridge _explode_?"

"Yeah it did, Bones." Booth said sleepily from her side, burying his face further into the pillow, and her neck.

"Ummm... Booth?" Brennan asked, sharing a look with a grinning Angela.

"What?"

"Can you get off me?" She asked.

"No." He mumbled back, tightening his arms around her.

"No?!"

"I'm comfortable."

"And I'm concussed and cranky and you're squishing my broken ribs." Brennan huffed. He got off her quick at that.

"I'm so sorry Bones! I didn't mean to hurt-" He stopped, seeing her triumphant grin. "Why are you smiling like an idiot?"

"Because you are so... what's the word?" Bren looked over at Ange again. "Easy." She erupted into a fit of giggles and hiccups. Booth looked to Angela for explanation.

"Did I mention that morphine makes Bren high?" Booth shook his head.

"Booth! Did you get particulates from my kitchen?" Bren asked, suddenly sober.

"Yes, they were very thorough and I was very annoying." He said with a grin.

"Well, I must be going. Have fun you two!" Angela said. She was half way to the door before Booth caught up with her.

"I'll be right back, Bones!" He said loudly, and then added in an undertone to Ange, "I need to talk to you."

"Once in the hallway, Ange asked, "What's up?"

"Bones. High. What am I supposed to do?" He asked, slightly desperate.

"You'll be fine, hun. She's just going to be giddy for a bit. And I didn't tell you this, but-" Looking up and down the hall to make sure no one was within earshot, Angela leaned up and in a stage whisper, said, "She'll tell you anything when she's high. If I were you, I'd play 20 questions." With a final wink and a dramatic wave, the artist pranced off down the hallway. Booth was about to walk back into the room when his cell rang.

"Booth."

"Hey Booth, this is Hodgins. I have results from the samples from Dr. Brennan's apartment. Can you come into the lab?"

"Can't you just explain it to me? I don't want to leave her like this. Who ever tried to kill her is still out there."

"I'm sorry, man. When Ange gets back we're going to run the Angelator. We need you here."

Booth ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I'll be there." Hanging up, he dialed Jamie Kenton.

"Kenton."

"Jamie, can you do me a favor?" Booth asked.

"Sure. What?" The agent asked from his hiding place in a closet down the hall from Brennan's room.

"Can you come to the hospital and watch over Bones for me while I run to the lab? I don't want her to be alone."

"Sure. I'll be there in 10." Hanging up, Jamie Kenton glanced at his watch. He had ten minutes to set his evil plan into action.

(----------------------------)

Kenton moved closer to her bed, watching her sleeping form. Her eye lids fluttered open and she blinked at him in confusion.

"Where's Booth?" She asked.

"Hollings has him. "

"What!?" Brennan shrieked, trying to get out of bed. "How, why?"

"He's being held captive at an abandoned warehouse. I can take you to him if you'd like."

"Captive? How do you know and why haven't you contacted the FBI?"

"Temperance, Temperance, Temperance." He chuckled. "Or should I say _Bones_?" He taunted. Brennan had pulled out her IV, was out of the bed, and was nose to nose with him in an instant.

"Take me to him." She demanded.

Kenton chuckled again. "As you wish." He was pleased to see that she held an arm around her broken ribs as she limped out of the hospital after him. They got into his truck and started off. Tempe knew that she should be keeping track of where he was taking her, but she was too concentrated on the pain in her side. About twenty minutes later they pulled into an empty lot outside a bunch of rundown buildings.

Kenton got out of the car, went around to Bren's side, yanked the door open and pulled her out. She let out a yelp of pain.

"Let me go!"

"Come on." He commanded, ignoring her cries. When they got into the building, he threw her onto the ground in front of a harsh looking metal chair.

"Where is he? You said he was here!" Brennan protested, even as she was doubled over in pain.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan." She didn't have time to defend herself before the butt of Kenton's gun knocked her out.

(---------------------------------)

Seeley Booth paced furiously on the platform at the lab. He had called the hospital to tell Brennan that he was running a bit late but that he would be bringing dinner by later. They informed him that she had disappeared.

After he and the squints checked all the normal 'Brennan Hiding Spots', they had come to the conclusion that she left with Kenton.

"Why did she leave with him and where the hell could he have taken her?" Booth wondered aloud.

"She obviously left under her own control, and in a hurry. There was no sign of a struggle in her room, but she ripped her IV right out." Hodgins said from his station.

"I was just looking over her x-rays. The only reason that she survived the explosion is because she was looking back towards the window. That twisted her body enough so that she didn't take the full brunt of the blast."

"Why would she be looking at the window?" Angela asked, looking up briefly from her sketchbook.

"Me." Booth said, his voice barely above a whisper. "She was looking back at me." A look of determination shadowed his face and he stood up straiter.

"I'm gonna go find her. I can't just sit here. Call me if you find anything." He said, jumping the steps of the platform and jogging out of the lab.

Jumping into his car and stomping on the gas, Booth started off towards the scene of the original crime. Maybe there was something the team missed.

(--------------------------------)

Booth slammed his door shut, pulling out his gun from it's holster and starting for the run-down warehouse. He had a feeling that there was someone, or something, inside. Going into Ranger mode, he crept through the doorway, looking both ways before proceeding. It wasn't long before he heard voices.

"You won't feel a thing, though. You'll be long gone." _Kenton! _He thought. _It was him! _

"You bastard. They will catch you for this-" A loud smack and a whimper resonated throughout the room. Booth crept closer.

"Goodbye, Dr. Brennan." Booth rounded the corner just in time to see Kenton raise his gun to hit Brennan, who was tied to a hook hanging from the ceiling. Aiming, Booth shot him in the arm causing him to drop the gun. There was a scuffle and two more gunshots before the warehouse fell silent.

"Booth." Came his partner's whimper.

"Bones!" Limping over to her, Booth attempted to lift her off the hook. The bullet in his shoulder was making that difficult so he put his head between her tied hands and gently lowered her to the ground.

"You're hurt." She said.

"I'm fine, Bones. Kenton isn't going to hurt anyone anymore. What about you? How'd you get out of the hospital?" He asked, worry evident in his tone.

"Kenton gave me a ride, but maybe... maybe you could give me a ride back?" He nodded, standing and pulling her up with his good arm. Handing her his cell, he told her to dial 911 as he gently removed the ropes from around her wrists. Ten minutes later an ambulance pulled up.

(---------EMT's POV---------)

It seemed like a normal call. Gun shot wounds, down in one of the old warehouses. I suited up as Sam drove his usual 60 miles an hour. We arrived at the scene and headed inside. When I found where everyone was, I laughed.

It was the same man and woman from the apartment call the day before, in pretty much the same position. She was in his lap, and

"What are you two doing out here? Isn't she supposed to be in ICU?" I asked, leaning down to treat the man's shoulder.

"She's SUPPOSED to be." He replied, wincing as his arm was patched up.

"I'm fine." The woman winced, clutching her ribs.

"No, you aren't." I replied. "Come on, let's get you two back to the hospital." After some grumbling and a not so nice threat to take pudding away, Sam and I managed to get them into the ambulance. The other man was dead – we called the Jeffersonian to pick him up par request of the man.

(---------------------------)

"Well, at least he didn't take the pudding." Booth said happily from his bed, scraping the bottom of yet another plastic container. Brennan rolled her eyes at his childish behavior, watching him eat the rest of his pudding. They each had their own hospital bed and small stash of pudding containers. Deciding it couldn't be bad if Booth was devouring it like so, she reached for her spoon. He heard her whimper, and looked over at her.

"You ok, Bones?" She nodded, her fingers inching towards the spoon on the table next to her bed. Booth was out of bed and handing it to her in an instant. As she popped the top off her pudding, Booth glanced down at his empty dish with an over-exaggerated sigh and pout. Rolling her eyes again, Tempe motioned for him to lay next to her.

"We'll share." She said, taking a spoonful and attempting to raise it to her mouth. She let out a frustrated sigh when she couldn't raise her arm high enough. Sending a pleading look in Booth's direction, she held out the spoon to him. He took it and raised it to her mouth with his good hand.

Brennan's eyes fluttered closed as she swallowed the chocolate pudding. Booth took a spoonful for himself, and then held out another to Tempe. They ate their way through her 'stock' of puddings, and fell asleep in each other's arms, both of them finally feeling safe.


	9. I is for Ice cream, Instincts and I spy

WOW! I am truly impressed, guys. For all of you who have stuck with this through my insufferable writer's block, thank you. And the reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I have J written, and will post tomorrow.

(---------------------------)

Temperance Brennan was, as usual, working. Her partner was out of town for a case – he was due back tomorrow. She had told Angela that she was happy he was gone for a while because it gave her a chance to work in peace, but in truth she felt like something was missing. Booth and her had grown exceedingly close over the last few weeks. The shift in their relationship was quick but pleasant and his sudden absence in her daily routine left Brennan with a deep ache of longing.

Just as she had started to brood moodily and glare at the bones on the table in front of her, her cell phone rang – a welcome distraction. Flipping it open, Brennan turned around to lean against the railing of the platform.

"Brennan." She answered in monotone.

"Dr. Temperance Brennan?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

"Yes?"

"Hello. I'm Principal Sam at Hillside Elementary. You are listed as a contact for Parker Booth, are you not?"

Brennan stood up straiter at the mention of her partner's son. "Yes. Is he ok? What happened?" She asked, her maternal instincts for the boy kicking in.

The principal chuckled. "Nothing is wrong. His mother never came to pick him up and we couldn't reach his father." He explained.

"His father is out of town, but I can come get him." She offered.

"That would be great."

"I'm on my way." Hanging up, Brennan stuffed her phone into her pocket and ran to grab her keys.

"Bren! Where are you going?" Angela asked as the anthropologist hurried past her.

"Parker!" She threw over her shoulder. The artist wrinkled her nose in confusion before the name registered.

"Parker _Booth_?" She yelled at a retreating Brennan. "Bren! I need an explanation!" But she was already out the door. Sighing, Ange turned around. Looking at the platform, she threw her hands up in defeat and said aloud to the lab. "She left her _bones! _I need an explanation_!"_

(------------------------)

Tempe pulled up to the school. Getting out of her little silver ports car, she headed into the building. After some quick directions form a friendly passing janitor, she was opening the door to the principals office.

"Dr. Bones!" Shrieked an excited Parker before he launched himself into her arms. Balancing the bot on her hip, Brennan turned to the smiling principal.

"Thank you for coming, Dr. Brennan." The middle aged man said.

"Anytime." She replied. Heading back out to her car, she put a bubbly and talkative Parker on the ground and grabbed his hand as they crossed the parking lot.

"And Jimmy, he didn't wanna eat the bug, but Billy told 'im to. And he did, Dr. Bones! He ated the whole think!"

Brennan checked as she buckled the boy into his booster seat. Some how she felt better now that she was with him. Maybe it was because he possessed so much of his father's charm.

"It sounds like you had an exciting day." She said. "What do you want to do now?"

I donno." He shrugged. His expression was so much lie his father's when he wanted pie that Brennan couldn't help but to ruffle his sandy-blond hair.

"How about Wong Foo's? Sid can make us sundaes..." She suggested. His enthusiastic 'Yeah!' made her smile. Getting into the drivers seat, she put the top of the convertible down, earning a squeal and a 'Your car is so cool, Dr. Bones!'

(--------------------------)

Sid watched as the unlikely pair entered his restaurant, Parker once again balanced on her hip as Brennan made her way to the bar and sat down on a stool with him in her lap.

"What can I do for you today?" Sid asked.

"Hmmm. What do you think, Park?" Brennan asked, tickling him. He giggled and squirmed in her lap.

"Ice cweam!"

Nodding to Sid, she agreed. "You heard the man. One hot fudge sundae, two spoons please." Bowing and adopting a deep voice, Sid replied.

"Coming right up, Ma'am and Sir." He headed to the kitchen for their order as Brennan and Parker chatted about his school.

"What are you learning in science, Parker?"

"We know how to make it rain!" He exclaimed. "You takes a cloud and squeeze it an rain comes out! I saw it on 'The Magic School bus!" He stated proudly.

"Wow. I didn't know that." Tempe said, and his eyes widened in amazement.

"But I thawt you knew everwything!" The little boy said. Sid returned with their ice cream.

"Here you go, you two." The bartender said, handing each of them a long sundae spoon. "Enjoy."

"It has m and m's!" Parker squealed in delight, digging around for a prized chocolate. Tempe mouthed a silent 'Thank you' to Sid before digging in herself.

Half an hour, two full stomaches and a stack of napkins later, the ice cream was gone. Parker and Brennan both said goodbye to Sid and headed back out to her car.

"How about we go back to my apartment and watch some TV?" Brennan suggested. Parker nodded sleepily from the backseat. He was asleep by the time they pulled into her parking space. Opening his door, she picked up the napping Parker and carried him up the stairs, contemplating her mothering instincts.

_It just seems so natural to pick him up and to talk to him. I always thought I was no good with kids, but Parker is so easy!_

She opened the door to her apartment on handed and went inside, kicking it shut with her foot. Placing the sleeping boy on her couch, she noticed the light on her answering machine blinking.

_I'll listen to it later. _She thought. _I don't want to wake Parker._

_Should I try to get in contact with Rebecca? I don't know her number, and Booth is out of town... But he'll be back tomorrow, so I can just keep Park overnight, bring him to school in the morning, and inform Booth of the situation when he shows up at the lab. _

_Besides, Rebecca is most likely busy if she couldn't pick up Parker. She can always call the school, they'll tell her that he's with me. And it's not like I haven't watched him before._

(----------------------------)

Meanwhile, Seeley Booth was frantic. He had gotten a call from Rebecca explaining that she had had a meeting, and therefore hadn't had time to pick up Parker. But by the time she got to the school, he wasn't waiting out front for her.

Booth had gotten on the next available flight and was currently on his way back from the air port. He had called Brennan to see if she had seen his son, but her cell was off, she didn't answer her work phone, and her home phone went strait to voice mail. Now worried about the whereabouts of his partner as well, Booth dialed Angela.

"Angela Montenegro-Soon-To-Be-Hodgins, how may I help you?"

"Ange, it's me. Have you seen Bones? Parker is missing and Bones isn't picking up her phone."

"Parker?" Angela asked. "Bren went running out of the lab at three yelling something about Parker."

"Three..." Booth did some quick calculations. "Park gets out of school at three. Bones is on his emergency contact list. Do you know where they are? She didn't pick up at home."

"I'd check Sid's. When she watches Park she usually takes him there for ice cream."

"Thanks a million, Ange. I owe you."

"Say thank you with gifts!" The artist said cheerfully before he hung up.

(-------------------------------------)

Booth screeched into the parking lot at Wong Foo's. Hopping out of his SUV, he ran inside.

"Sid!" he yelled.

"G-man! What can I get for-"

"Have you seen Parker and Bones?" He cut off.

"Sure. They were in here for ice cream this afternoon. Hold on-" The bartender bent down and shuffled with something behind the bar. A minute later he came up with a picture. Handing it to Booth, he said,

"I think they went back to her plate. They were deep in conversation over Spongebob when they left."

Booth took the picture and felt his heart melt right onto the floor.

There, on a 4x6 piece of paper, where the two most important people in his world. Parker was in his Bones' lap, ice cream on his nose as they ate from the same bowl. The thing that captivated him was Brennan. She had a happy, care free laugh on her face as she gazed down at his son with a look of pure adoration. In that instant, he knew where he needed to be.

(-------------------------------)

"I spy something blue." Tempe said, wiggling her eyebrows and scrunching up her face in a way that made Parker laugh.

"A camel!" He exclaimed, pointing to a statue that was sitting on one of Brennan's bookshelves.

"That's right." She praised. "I spy..." She trailed off when movement out the window caught her eye. "Your daddy."

"Daddy?! Where?" Walking over to the window, she picked him up so he could see.

"See the black car? That's your daddy's car." They both watched as Booth quickly strode into the building. A minute later, he knocked on the door. Brennan made her way over to unlock it, Parker still balanced on her hip.

The door opened and Booth stared at them.

This was a sight he wanted to see everyday. _His _Bones and_ his _son, identical ear to ear grins, both looking like they had the time of their life. He did the only thing he could think of to show her how much it meant to him. He stepped through the door and kissed her hard on the mouth. The sparks, fireworks and hallelujah chorus were all but short by an 'Ewwww, Daddy!' from Parker.

"Hey bud! You miss me?" He asked, taking his son from his partner.

"A lot, daddy. Dr. Bones and I got ice cweam with m and m's!"

"I know, bud. Did you say thank you?"

"Thank you, Dr. Bones!" Parker said loudly, diving back into her arms. "I had alotta fun."

"Me too, Park." Brennan grinned.

"Thank you, Bones. You don't know how much-"

She cut Booth off. "It was nothing. He's a sweet, adorable boy." Booth was grinning so much at the praise for his son that he almost missed her next sentence as she walked back into her apartment.

"Just like his father."


	10. J is for Jim and Jail

J is for Jim and Jail.

As promised, here is 'J'. And please, send in your ideas for 'K'! I'm stumped... I'm thinking of doing something with the obvious 'Kissing', but I need another K word to go with it. And somehow, I don't think the ones I have come up with (koala, klondike and kite) are going to help much. Here is my plea for help!!

:) B

(----------------------------------)

Booth ambled into his office while sipping his coffee. With one hand he sorted through the various notices that were stuck to his little-used computer monitor. One caught his eye – it was an inter-office memo. Picking it up, he skimmed it quickly.

_There's something you might want to see down in the holding cells._

Frowning in confusion, he headed back out of his office to the elevator. Why would there be someone down in the holding cells for him? He wasn't currently working a case and couldn't remember any criminals getting away from him recently. Whistling dully, he stepped out of the elevator and walked up to the guard.

"I got a note that you had someone down here for me, Jim." He said to the guard. Jim nodded, gesturing for Booth to follow.

"Right this way. We picked her up last night." Booth was still puzzling over who it could possibly be when the cell came into view.

His partner was curled up on the uncomfortable looking cot, covered in mud. He could see the beginnings of a bruise forming on her forehead, and she had numerous scratches and scrapes on her bare arms.

"Bones?" Booth asked uncertainly, not sure if she was awake. He watched her eyes open slowly and she blinked at him in confusion. He felt anger pool in the pit of his stomach when he saw that one of her eyes was blacked.

"Booth? Where am..." She trailed off when she spotted Jim, a murderous look on her face. Booth swore he heard her growl. "You could have been a bit more considerate." She huffed at him.

"What happened, Bones?"

"Booth, you know you can't talk with detainees until we've-" Jim started.

"What do you mean?! It's my partner, dammit! Why the hell is she in here anyway?" Brennan could tell he was about to punch something so decided to intervene.

"I was walking home and was mugged, and some idiot rookie picked me up and brought me in for assault. _Jim here,_" She paused to glare, "Thought it would be fun to lock my up on the rookie's _stupid insistence._"

"Rookie who?" Booth asked.

"You're not aloud to TALK to her!" Jim said, trying to force Booth away from the cell.

"Fine, fine, I won't talk. Can I sit here?" Booth asked, gesturing to the floor in front of her cell.

"Be my guest. I'm gonna call Cullen and ask him what I should do with her." Booth flopped down on the floor, leaning his back against the harsh metal bars. Brennan scooted over to sit next to him so that they were back to back, their spines touching.

Tempe saw that Booth was going to stick to his word and keep his mouth shut. Reaching through the bars she grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers through his. He squeezed it slightly, reassuring her and more with the simple touch than any words could.

"Booth!" Came the deep, booming voice of Sam Cullen. "What is this about talking to detain-" He stopped at the sight of Booth and his partner sitting as close as possible with a metal gate between them. "What the hell is going on here?" He was confused as to why half of his best homicide detective team was currently in a holding cell.

"That's what I was trying to figure out before Jim reminded me that I'm not aloud to talk to detainees." Booth explained as Cullen sighed in annoyance.

"He's new. Dr. Brennan, can you tell me what happened? Who brought you in?"

"I was mugged while walking home. The guy who jumped me was strong... very strong. I fought back, but he managed to get a few hits in." Brennan gestured to her face with her free hand, the other one still clinging to Booth's.

"I was about to flip him when I was pulled off. The next thing I knew I had my face in the ground, a knee in my back and some idiot was cuffing me. He read me my rights, stuffed me in the back of his SUV and hauled me here. I was unconscious when they brought me in, but when I woke up it was freezing, and I was really thirsty. I asked Jim for a blanket and some water and he told me to shut up and that he wasn't supposed to talk to detainees." She felt Booth bristling and squeezed his hand to tell him to let her finish.

"I didn't get a look at the rookie's face, but he'll be the security tapes. There also might be cameras of my attack - I was outside Sid's. He just got a parking lot cam installed a month ago." She finished.

"Sid's?" Cullen asked.

"Wong Foo's." Booth answered for her. "Can we get out of here now? Bones probably would like a piece of pie, I know I sure would. And some of those cuts might need cleaning."

"Booth, I'm right here. You don't have to talk in third person." Brennan said.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you, Bones!" Booth hissed back.

Cullen watched the interaction with amusement. Pulling a key out of his pocket, he unlocked Bren's cell door.

"I'll open up an investigation. We'll figure out who brought you in, Dr. Brennan." He said before turning to Booth. "You don't look so good, Booth. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"

Booth's face lit up as he caught on. Letting out a fake cough, he tugged Brennan to his side and put on an innocent face. "I think we'll do that, Sir." Grinning, he tugged his partner behind him as they headed out to the parking lot and Booth's awaiting SUV.

His coffee remained forgotten on his desk.

(---------------------------)

"Come on, Bones." Booth urged, flipping on a couple lights as he made his way into her apartment.

"It's _my_house, Booth." She grumbled, dropping the paper bag with her belongings onto her hall table. "I'm going to grab a shower, ok? Make yourself at home." Turning on her heel, she practically ran to the bathroom, desperate to get the muck and grime off her skin.

Booth flopped down on her couch and flipped on the TV. Yes, she had a TV. After much grumbling from him, he had convinced her to go out and buy a nice flat screen with all that saved up book money. Happily settling on a replay of last night's Rangers game, he passed the next half an hour practically not blinking.

Brennan, meanwhile, sighed in relief as the hot water washed away the previous night. She felt herself relax completely. A few minutes of just letting the water run over her scraped and bruised body, she shut off the water. Shaking her head like a dog to rid her hair of excess water, she grabbed her fluffiest towel and headed to her bedroom. Quickly toweling off, she threw on her most comfortable jeans and a cream colored cami. After brushing her hair she pulled it up in a messy bun. Tossing the brush on her bed on her way out of the room, she headed to where she knew Booth would be glued to the TV.

He sensed her presence before she said anything.

"Feeling better?" He asked. Brennan walked over and leaned her forearms on the back of the couch. Booth leaned his head back and grinned at her upside down.

"Much. Do you want to change into something more comfortable? We DO have the day off, after all." Nodding, Booth got up and headed to her bedroom. Pulling open HIS draw in her dresser, he pulled out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He moved to the bathroom to change. A few minutes later he emerged dressed comfortably.

They stood in the middle of her bedroom, staring at each other nervously, unsure of what to do.

"Pie?" He asked and she nodded.

(-----------------------------)

"What have you got for pie, Sid?" Booth asked as they slid onto their usual bar stools. The bartender eyed them up and down, taking in the casual clothes.

"Playing hookie, you two?" He asked with a grin. "And I thought you preffered that 'Diner's' pie over mine."

Booth shook his head. "You make the best apple of anywhere. Even better than, although I probably shouldn't say this, my mother's."

"Well, with that high a compliment I'll bring you an extra big slice." Turing to Brennan, he asked. "Blueberry?"

"Please."

A minute later the partners were happily chowing down on their respecitve pie slices. Booth finished his first and was eying Brennan's wistfully. She rolled her eyes and nudged him with her arm, silently giving him permission to help her finish hers.

Sid watched their interactions. They seemed closer than ever today – _They must have had one of their bickering sessions. Or, knowing them, something more tramatic. At least they don't ever get thrown in jail._


	11. K is for Kisses and Keys and Keeps AND

K is for keys and kisses and keepers and kind words and kaleidescope.

* * *

K is also for knowledge, kleptomaniac, keepsake, key chain, karaoke, Kindness, Kitten, keeps, keepsake, Kenya, keel, keen, kerosene, karate, kayak, kibble, Kangaroo, Keenan, Kansas, Karate, krackle, kracken, Karaoke, Karma, Know, kryptonite, kerosine, Kumquats, Kids, Kinky, Kitchen, Kenton, kingdom, keyhole, knife, Kelloggs, kiwi, kit-kats and Kappy's.

Thank you to **JilianCeleste**, **0Infinite0Possibilities0**, and **Queen Peacock** for suggesting 'Key'. Also thank you to **Awahili** for suggesting 'Keeps'. And to **bones.house.love,** **noelle1322 **for kaleidescope.

L... I really am stumped. All I came up with was llamas. Help!

(--------------------------)

"I mean, how could you _not _want to tap that great a-"

"Angela! How many times do I have to say it? Booth is just my partner." Temperance Brennan argued weakly, attempting to inch towards the door of her office so as to escape her interrogating friend.

"No, Bren, I don't want to hear it! I've listened to you two use that line for the last two years. Well no more!" Angela said firmly, pointing an accusing finger at Brennan. Starting to pace, she continued her tirade. "You have to see what he feels for you, Bren. Now stop dancing around-... where are you going?! Come back here, Temperance Brennan! I'm not finished with you!" The artist shrieked at her retreating back.

Brennan zig-zagged through the various scientists that were milling around the lab. Not looking where she was going, she ran smack-dab-bang into someone, knocking the two of them to the ground.

"Nice to see you too, Bones." Came the voice of the person she just steamrolled. Groaning, Brennan let her head fall back onto the floor as she lay tangled with her partner. "What are you in such a hurry for that you have to run down innocent bystanders?"

"Shut up, Booth. I was trying to get away from-"

"BRENNAN! GET BACK HERE!" Booth froze as well as Angela's voice echoed through the lab. Hauling his partner to her feet, he grabbed her and pulled her into a janitor's closet down the hall.

"Booth! What are you doing?" Brennan asked. She could feel every inch of his body pressed up against her in the small space.

"I have to give you something, and we are both escaping Angela."

"What do you have to give me?"

"This." He said, and she heard the slight clink of metal on metal.

"Booth, I can't see anything." It was after all, pitch black in the closet. Sighing, Booth started her grope around for her hand.

"Booth!"

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Where is your hand? I want to give you something." Reaching up, Brennan placed her hand on his chest. 

"Right here." He grabbed it with one hand and with the other he placed something into her palm.

"What is it?"

"An extra key to my place. In case you ever need to get in." He explained.

"Why would I need to get into your apartment?" Brennan asked.

"You know. . . in case of emergencies. Just take it, Bones."

"Ok, then I have something for you." She reached into her pocket and drew out her key ring. Booth heard some rustling and clinking before he felt her hand slip into his pocket.

"Bones! What?!" He yelped, attempting to jump backwards and away from her wandering fingers.

"It's my extra key."

"Oh, well, next time HAND it to me."

"Sorry." An awkward moment passed as they both listened to the other breathe.

"What do we do now?"

"I don't know-" Booth started, but stopped when he registered heel clicks coming from outside the door. "Angela." He breathed, pressing himself closer to his partner and whispering right into her ear. "Don't move."

Brennan nodded slightly, shivering when she felt the stubble from his cheek brush against her ear. They waited with baited breath until the clicking faded away.

"That was close."

"Yeah. Can you imagine if she caught us? We'd be dead." Booth said. He moved his head, trying to see something in the darkness. He was startled when he felt his nose brush something.

"What was that?"

"That was my nose." Brennan replied, her breath hot against his lips.

"Sorry."

She intended to move her head so that their noses weren't so squished together, but her lips found his instead. Both shocked by the kiss, they didn't move for a few seconds. When Booth tried to pull away, her lips chased his, keeping the contact. Slowly and cautiously he started to kiss her, slow and sweet, soft and caring.

A few minutes of going slow was enough to spark a fire. Soon they were groping wildly, Booth's lips insistent on hers. When Brennan moaned, it brought them both out of the haze they were surrounded by.

"Bones, we can't do this here." Booth whispered.

"Here?! We can't do this at all!" She whispered back.

"Temperance, calm down. I'm not gonna leave you like Sully. You don't have to be afraid of this."

"I'm not afraid of it, we're just partners! Do you know how much trouble we'd be in?!"

"Bones." Booth said firmly, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her tight against him. "I'm not going anywhere, and there is no way they can split us up anyway. You don't work for the FBI."

"So you mean this is for keeps?" She asked, her voice timid and scared.

"Yep. Just call me a keeper."

"Ok, Keeper. Why are we still in this closet?"

"Good question. I'm gonna check and see if the coast is clear. Don't move." Booth said, his hand moving towards the doorknob. He turned it slowly, peaking his head out of the closet. What he saw made him pull his head back in and shut the door with a snap, breathing heavily with his eyes closed.

"What's wrong?" Bren asked, concerned.

"Angela."

"Angela what?"

"Angela is standing outside the door. With your little voice recorder thingy." Brennan's eyes widened.

"She was yelling all sorts of 'kind words' at me before I ran into you." She said sarcastically. "How could she have found us in here?"

"I don't know how she found us, but I know for sure that she's not leaving until we do. How the hell do we explain why we're in a closet? And to make it worse, she's recording this whole thing!" Booth said frantically as Brennan got a thoughtful look on her face.

"I know what to do." Stretching up, she whispered into his ear.

(-----------------------------)

Angela Montenegro was on a mission. She was trying to find Brennan, who had just mysteriously disappeared on her. In a huff she was about to give up and go back to Brennan's office to wait until she came back, when she heard the talking. It was coming from, oddly enough, one of the janitor's closets.

"Bones! What?!" She heard a yelp and a slight crash as if someone had run into a shelf.

"It's my extra key."

_That's Brennan! What is she doing in a closet with Booth? _Angela thought, her mind heading way past the gutter. She was over the roof and spilling out the downspout she was so far past it.

"Oh, well, next time HAND it to me."

"Sorry." There was a pause.

"What do we do now?"

"I don't know-" Booth stopped talking and Angela stuffed her fist in her mouth too stop herself from laughing and/or squealing. Quickly backing away, she ran to Brennan's office and started digging around in her desk.

"It has to be here somewhere." She muttered, pushing aside some paper clips in the top draw. "Aha!" Came the excited exclamation as she found what she had been searching for. Racing back to the closet, she clicked on Brennan's little recorder and held it next to the keyhole.

After a few seconds she took it away and backed up about ten feet. Rummaging around in her pockets for a pair of headphones, she plugged them into the recorder and turned the volume all the way up. Now she could hear their whisperings perfectly.

"I'm not afraid of it, we're just partners! Do you know how much trouble we'd be in?!" _Brennan! _Angela thought_. Will you stop over analizing!_

"Bones." She heard Booth say tenderly. "I'm not going anywhere, and there is no way they can split us up anyway. You don't work for the FBI."

"So you mean this is for keeps?" Brennan's voice was scared, making Angela a little worried. She had been so concentrated on the recording that she almost missed it when Booth poked his head around the door frame. A wicked smile crossed her face. _I've got them now. _

Sneaking closer, Angela pressed her ear to the door.

"You really want me to do that?" Booth asked.

"Yes! The only way is to act normal!" Brennan argued back.

"Bones. We're walking out of a janitor's closet. There's nothing normal about that."

"Uggg! Just go."

"Fine."

Angela was startled when the door suddenly opened, and as a result she tripped backwards. Her heels skidded on the floor, and a second later she found herself flat on her butt as a certain FBI agent and his partner made a run for it.

"I'll catch up with you eventually!" The artist yelled after them, still sitting in a huff with her arms crossed. After a few minutes of pouting, she was startled to hear footsteps behind her. Turning, she saw her bug man waiting. Allowing him to pull her up off the floor, she wrapped an arm around his waist and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"What's up, Angie?"

"Oh, the usual. Bren was rescued by Booth, and they both ran off again. Just another day at the office." Hodgins quirked an eyebrow.

"Then why were you screaming bloody murder at them earlier?"

"They were kind words, Hodgie. Kind words of advice."

"I'm sure, Ange. Soo..." He said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Did you know that there is a new kaleidescope exhibit? I say we go christen it."

Leaning up, Angela gave him a quick kiss. "Right behind you."


	12. L is for Learning to Shoot,Love and Live

L is for Learning to Shoot, Love and Live.

L is also for Like, lick, load, lion, lord, lend, lean, lose, loose, lane, lake, lack, Lust, Lace, Law, life, Link, Look, Last, Literal, Lager, Lips, Late, Laugh, Lecture, Literate, Lingering, Lingerie, Llamas, lilies, locks, lollipops, liquid nitrogen, light bulb, lotion, lilacs, lifesaver, lucky, luminous, lighter, loopy, lying, Laser Tag, Lipstick, Lock, Language, lemons, Listen, Learn, Lent, Labor, Lament, Lift, Limp, Lore, Lab, Lint, Lobotomy, Lord, Lady, Left, Last, Lyrics, Lotion, Lackluster, lap, Lamp, Lamb, Laser, Lazy, Lion, Lock, Leer, Lapse, Lurch, Lunch, Lit, Light, lugubrious, lively, locket, lost, laundry, legend, library, lovebirds, Litter, Little, liar, lunatic, low-key, Loquacious, Listerine, Landlord, Lanky, Lance:) Lance the landlord :), loins, left-handed, liquid, leaving, Luddite, lighting and lift.

I'm sorry for the lack of updates. (I seem to say that every time)... Thank you so much for all who have stuck with me.

And thank you to everyone who suggested love. There were a lot of you!

(-----------------------)

"You're destroying evidence!" Brennan said hysterically, swaying a bit on the spot. "I can't let you do that."

Ken Thompson pulled a lighter from his pocket. With a flick of his thumb, a flame appeared.

"Watch me."Before she could pull out her gun, he dropped it.

The floor went up in flames and Brennan stumbled back, the hand holding her gun instinctively flying up to cover her eyes. Squinting through the smoke and flames, she saw Thompson heading out into the main part of the house. She stumbled after him, patting out some small flames on her shirt.

Tripping through the door he had just gone through, she saw him running up the stairs to a second floor. Ignoring the spreading flames and the smoke detectors, she followed. She was walking through a door into what she assumed was his bedroom when something flew out and hit her in the face, knocking her to the ground.

"You bastard." She spat through a split lip when she saw Thompson hovering over her. He pistol whipped her again.

"Shut up." Brennan hauled herself to her feet and walked over to where he was hurriedly grabbing a packed duffel bag. When he tried to leave, she blocked the door, her gun pointed at his leg.

"Where do you think you are going?" She asked.

"Aruba." Thompson said with a shrug and a smirk.

"You killed her, Thompson. You're not gonna get away with this." Tempe said, voice rough from the smoke that was filling the room as the fire crept closer to them.

"Once again, watch me." He made to move by her but Brennan was quicker. Swinging out a foot, she knocked his feet out from under him and sent him crashing to the ground at the top of the landing. On the ground, Thompson managed to swing a leg out as well, tripping the slightly intoxicated Doctor and sending her sprawling down the stairs. She tumbled and slammed into the wall with a sickening crack.

"Temperance!" A voice called. Twisting her head from her crumpled position, Tempe saw Oliver Laurier coming up the stairs, his sleeve covering his mouth and protecting him from the smoke. "Are you alright?"

"Oliver," Brennan started, once again dragging herself to her feet using the railing on the stairs for support, her gun still clutched in her other hand. "I realize that you're here out of a misguided concern for my safety, but I apparently don't read people very well and you could be in some kind of psychotic illusion with Ken..." She trailed off her rant at the mention of the killer and glanced towards the top of the stairs just in time to see him disappearing through the still open bedroom door. Swearing, she tore after him, ignoring the throbbing in her head and shoulder. She burst through the door to see Thompson attempting to open the window to climb out. Without a second thought, she shot him in the leg to prevent him from escaping.

"Temperance!" Oliver yelled from the first floor. "We have to get out now! The fire is almost up the stairs!" He couldn't get back up them to help her because the fire had spread almost all the way to the second floor.

Brennan looked back and forth between the writhing man at her feet and the doorway. As much as she would love for Thompson to burn for what he had done, she knew that the Ellers deserved a fair trial for their daughter. Making a decision, she grabbed Thompson by his arms and started to drag him to the door.

The smoke was almost unbearable by now. Getting down on the floor to stay out of it as much as possible, she continued to drag him towards the burning stairs.

"Help me, dammit! I can't drag you the whole way!" She snarled, kicking desperately, pushing off the wall to move them faster.

"I'm not going to jail." Thompson rasped out. It was then that Brennan realized she no longer had her gun. She stopped moving and slowly turned to face him. She was met with his psychotic smile and her own gun being pointed back at her. "And I'm not the only one that's getting shot tonight." Brennan lunged for the gun at the same time he fired.

The shot hit her squarely in the left shoulder and she screamed out in pain.

(--------------------------)

"Booth." The Agent answered dully, not in the mood for an interruption when he was trying to convict a Senator.

"Sweetie! You have to go help Bren! She just left!" Angela's shrill voice said frantically. Booth held the phone away from his ear.

"Calm down, Ange. What happened?"

"Bren was talking about fish, and how Thompson kept fish and diatomaceous earth and how she wanted me to call you but I don't know where she went and she just took off and what if she can't get him and she gets hurt?!" Angela said quickly and all in one breath.

"Are you drunk?"

"NO!" She yelled, but it was apparent that she was.

"Where did she go?" Booth asked calmly.

"To arrest Thompson, obviously!"

"Arrest...I do the arresting! Jesus, Bones." He mumbled, grabbing his Glock and coat and heading out of his office. "I'm on my way, Ange." Shutting his phone with a snap, he got in his car, still mumbling about reckless squints.

(--------------------------)

Pulling up to Thompson's house, Booth spotted Brennan's Jeep. Rolling his eyes at her independence, he leaned down grab his cell phone where it had fallen on the floor. When he straightened up, he saw something that absolutely stopped his heart.

The house was on fire.

Jerking his door open, he sprinted towards the house.

"BONES!" He yelled, trying to decide if he should just break down the door or call for help. Then he heard her blood-curdling scream making the decision for him. With a well placed kick, the door flew open and Booth ran inside. It was chaos.

Flames were burning every available surface, and the smoke was so thick that you could scarcely see, let alone breathe. Booth covered his mouth with his hand and plowed further into the house. He met Oliver Laurier at the foot of the stairs.

"Oliver!" Booth yelled. "What are you doing here?!" The man turned, shocked, towards him.

"Agent Booth! I keep hearing shots!" At Booth's questioning look, he explained. "They're up there! You can't get up though, the fire is too hot!"

"Too hot, my ass." Booth growled, and then closed his eyes and plunged into the smoke and flames. _(A/N: Get it? Get it? Too hot, his ass is!) _

Stumbling up the stairs, Booth eventually came upon his partner, curled up unconscious on the landing. Ken Thompson was next to her, a bullet right in the middle of his eyes.

"Bones!" Booth said frantically, scooping her into his arms. He looked back at the stairs – there was no way he could get back down them. Carrying Brennan, he retreated through the open door to a bedroom to try to find a way out.

(-------------------------)

Angela's phone rang and she hurriedly picked it up. "Montenegro!"

"Is this Booth's squint team?" A voice asked.

"Yes."

"This is Agent McDonahue on scene at Ken Thompson's house. Can you bring your team to the scene, please? Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan both went in and haven't come out yet, and I thought I should let you know. This is your case, after all."

"What do you mean, they haven't come out yet? Just go in and get them!" Angela said, confused.

"The DCFD is still trying to get the flames under control."

"FLAMES?! WHAT FLAMES?!" Angela shrieked loudly, causing Zack and Jack to run into her office in alarm. She waved them away.

"Please try to get here as fast as you can. We're suspecting arson, but because this is a murder investigation we're going to need your team to do their thing..."

"MURDER?!" Angela yelled. "Booth... Bren..."

"They haven't turned up yet, Ms. Montenegro, but I'm sure they got out alright. The fire was contained mostly on the first floor."

"We're on our way." She said, hanging up the phone. Grabbing her coat, she ran out of the lab, Zack and Jack hot on her heels.

(--------------------------)

"Hang in there, Bones." Booth said, cradling his partner to his chest as he carefully climbed out the window and onto the roof of the garden shed. "Almost there, Tempe. We're gonna make it." He managed to jump off the shed and onto the ground without dropping her, but as soon as his feet hit the ground he got dizzy. Blinking, he tried to steady himself.

_Lack of oxygen. Too much smoke. _He thought. Knees buckling, he sank to the ground. Gently placing Brennan next to him, he brushed a piece of hair our of her face.

"Save her." He croaked before passing out next to his partner.

(---------------------------)

Angela, Jack and Zack arrived a few minutes later, screeching to a halt in front of the house. Most of the flames were out by now.

Angela jumped out of the passenger's seat and after a quick glance at both Booth and Brennan's cars, hurried over to Agent McDonahue.

"Where are they?" She demanded.

The agent turned to the frantic artist. "We haven't found them yet, but I was just about to send a team out to search the yard. The firemen are searching the house as we-"

"We've got bodies!" Came a yell. Angela and McDonahue locked gazes in fear before sprinting off in the direction of the yell.

"How many?!" McDonahue asked.

"Two." Replied the fireman. "One at the foot of the stairs, and the other at the top with a bullet between his eyes."

Angela let out a wail. "Booth! Bren!"

"We don't know that yet." McDonahue said, trying to sooth her.

"Get the EMTs over here!" Came another yell. "We've got two live ones!" Angela perked up. Starting around the back of the house where the commotion was, she motioned for Zack and Jack to follow her. The team came upon a small group of agents and EMTs, attending to two forms on the ground.

"Bren! Booth!" Angela said hysterically. Booth was curled on his side, his arms wrapped around Brennan, who's shoulder was bleeding freely.

"I'm going to need you to give them space, ma'am." One of the EMTs said as the others started to work on the partners. A few minutes later they were both hooked up to oxygen and on stretchers. Brennan's shoulder had a temporary bandage on it, and they had cleaned the cut on her lip.

"Let's pack it up, boys. The woman is going to need surgery on that shoulder and some stitches on her forehead." The lead EMT shouted, rounding up his team as they all piled back into the ambulance and headed off for the hospital.

The squints followed close behind.

(----------------------)

Temperance Brennan opened her eyes slowly. Slamming them closed immediately when a blinding light met her eyes and terrifying memories met her brain, she whimpered slightly.

_The smoke, the fire. The gunshot to her shoulder...Oliver... shooting... Oh god, did she shoot Thompson?_

"Bones?" Booth's voice came from her left. Flipping her head in the direction of his voice, she opened one eye. Upon seeing her partner lying in a bed next to her, she opened the other eye.

"What happened?" She rasped, and then broke off coughing. Booth hauled himself out of bed and was holding a cup of water with a straw out to her in an instant.

"You took in a lot of smoke." He explained, placing the cup back on the small table next to her bed and sitting next to her on her bed.

"Why are you here?"

"I don't really remember WHY. All I remember is pulling you out of the house, and then I think I passed out from the smoke as well. What about you? How'd you get shot?" She flinched at his words.

"Ken... is he?" She asked, afraid to meet his eyes. Booth nodded, but after he realized she wasn't looking, said "Yeah."

"I didn't mean to..." Brennan sniffed. "One second I was trying to get him out and then he had my gun and I just... I just reacted." Booth carefully wrapped his arm around her, careful of her shoulder.

"It's gonna be ok, Bones. We'll get through this."

"I can't believe I killed him." She murmured. "How did you do it?" She asked, referring to his sniper days.

Booth's eyes darkened with pain. "You learn how to shoot."

"Why do you do it?" She asked.

"Do what?"

"This. Catch the bad guys. It's not fair that Thompson got off so easily. He should have gone to jail."

"You tried, Temperance. That's all you can do. And as for why I do it? You. . . know my past. I've done bad things. Now, I want to try to catch as many murders as horrible things I've done." Booth explained as Tempe chuckled softly.

"Please don't think there is some sort of cosmic balance sheet." At Booth's reproachful look, she sobered. "I'd like to help you with that."

The charming smirk was back. "Ehhh." He said, rolling his eyes and bumping her good shoulder with his. Brennan smiled, rolling her eyes back and laying her head on his shoulder.

Together, they learned to shoot, they learned to love, and they learned to live.


	13. M is for Mattie, Mothers, Miranda Rights

This chapter is for **meg bristow**, one of my anonymous reviewers who asked for Mattie to make a reappearance. Others asked, but she was the first. So YES, this is a continuation of 'F is for Family and Foster Days', just so no one gets confused.

M is for Mattie and Mothers and Miranda Rights.

M is also for meddling, Montenegro, Monte Carlo, Matchmaker, Magic, Machete, Moaning, Military, Microphones, Mischief, Mulder, marmalade jam, marriage, murky waters, maps, music, mope, mango, muffle, muffin, memories, movies, muscles, mousse, morning, mourning, midnight, madness, mayhem, more, making out, murder, messy, macaroni, MIA.

------

Temperance Brennan was babysitting. Yes, babysitting. The woman who never thought she would make a good mother was currently watching her foster son, Matthew, and her partner's son, Parker. They were at the park – a large grassy field with a swing set and soccer goals – having a picnic on top of their favorite hill, and under the best climbing tree. They had just eaten and the boys, who were both five now and best friends, were kicking around a soccer ball while Brennan read a book. Glancing at her watch for the time, Brennan jumped up in shock. They had to get back to the Jeffersonian so that Booth could pick up Parker.

Putting two fingers between her lips, she let out a shrill whistle. The boys knew that this meant it was time to go, and started kicking the ball in the direction of the car. Brennan grabbed the remains of their picnic and started after them.

"Parker! Mattie!" She called once she reached her little silver sports car.

"Tempe! Did you see us? We kicked it without missing the _whole _time!" Said an excited Mattie. Parker, who was holding the soccer ball with both hands, nodded vigorously in agreement.

"I saw, guys. That's awesome! But we have to get back to the museum so that Booth can pick us up for dinner!" Both boys glanced at each other in excitement.

"We're going to dinner?!" Mattie asked.

"All together?!" Parker added. When Brennan nodded, he turned around and gave Mattie a high five.

"We're going to Sid's." Brennan informed them.

"Yes!" The boys cheered.

"Let's go so that your daddy doesn't end up making Auntie Ange help look for us like last time."

"But we weren't lost, Dr. Bones!" Parker said, attempting to buckle himself into his booster seat. Bren leaned over to help him after getting Mattie strapped in.

"I know, Park, but your dad gets worried when we don't show up in time." She explained, getting into the driver's seat and starting the car.

They made their way to the Jeffersonian, the boys chatting about Sponge bob, and how he was the best thing in the world, and Brennan contentedly listening to their rather hard to follow conversation.

They walked into her office still chatting. A police officer and a blond woman were sitting on her couch.

"Dr. Brennan?" The woman asked. Brennan instinctively stepped in front of the boys.

"What do you want."

"You are under arrest." The police officer, who she recognized as 'Marve' said.

"Why?"

The woman answered. "You stole my son." The police officer cuffed a protesting Brennan and started to lead her out of the lab.

"You can't do this!" She shrieked, struggling against the cuffs. Booth chose that moment to walk into the lab.

"Bones!" He said, hurrying over to his cuffed partner. "What's going on here?"

"Booth!" Brennan said. "Go get Parker and Mattie! Don't let her take them!" She ordered before she was tugged outside. As soon as they were at Marve's cruiser, he let her go. Brennan grabbed him in a hug.

"Thank you so much, Marve." She said.

"Ehh. I've always wanted to pull a Jetson." He said, smiling before tipping his hat and getting into his car.

The 'Jetson' was where a rookie Agent went out to arrest someone, but didn't read the suspect their Miranda rights. By law, if you aren't read your laws, you can walk free.

"Great acting, by the way." He complimented before driving off. Brennan did a small victory dance before sprinting back into the building. Sneaking to her office, she tried to hear what the people inside were saying. Booth was arguing with the woman, who seemed to think that she was Mattie's mother.

"He's MY son! You can't take him! I have every right to bring him home with me!" The woman was yelling as Brennan stepped into her office.

"And who do you think you are?" Bren asked, arms crossed and a murderous look on her face. Turning to Booth, she asked,

"Where are the boys?"

"They're with Ange." He answered before turning back to the woman. "Who are you again?"

"I'm the mother of Matthew, and I demand to know where he is!"

"I am his mother, as of this moment. If you plan to even _start_ a trial on this, I want a DNA test." Brennan said coolly, arms crossed defensively as she glared at the woman. Only Booth could see that she was actually terrified. If this WAS his mother, she had every right to take him.

"I'll do the DNA test. You'll see that _I _am his mother. I _will_ get him back." Without another word, the woman stomped out of the office. As soon as she was gone, Booth stepped up and pulled a trembling Brennan into his arms.

"Shh. We'll figure this out." He soothed, stroking her back as she clung to his neck, sniffling. He pulled her onto the couch with him and held her as she buried her face in his chest.

"I can't lose him, Booth." She mumbled.

"I know, Bones. Me either." Their moment was interrupted as Jack stumbled into the office, weighted down by two enthusiastic five year olds.

"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt, but we're all going to grab something to eat. And these two monkeys are hungry."

"We're not monkeys, Uncle Jack!" The boys protested.

"We were going to go out to dinner anyway." Brennan said, untangling herself from Booth. "Can we join you?"

"Of course. I'll go tell Ange you're coming." He walked away, only to trip in the middle of the lab. All three went tumbling and a loud shout of 'No more climbing on Uncle Jack!' could be heard throughout the lab. Brennan giggled.

Booth came up behind her, whispering in her ear,

"We'll figure this out, Temperance. I promise." She turned in his arms and wrapped him in a hug.

"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you." She murmured against his neck.

"Probably wander around lost, confused, and hungry." He teased. Slapping him lightly on the chest in mock anger, she leaned up and kissed him sweetly. Stepping out of his arms and sauntering away, she turned to find him with a stunned look on his face. Laughing, she called 'You coming?' over her shoulder. He nodded dumbly before following.

------

The mis-matched team sat squished in a booth at Wong Foo's. Parker and Mattie sat between Jack and Zack (they considered them the coolest people in the world other than Booth and Brennan). Angela (who was, in the boys opinion, the bestest Aunt ever) sat on Jack's free side, and Brennan sat next to her with Booth on the end. They had just finished eating vast amounts of Sid's 'Everything' pizza. Parker and Mattie were falling asleep as the adults talked.

Angela didn't say anything when she saw Brennan's head start to droop to Booth's shoulder. The Artist knew that her best friend had had a long, but not particularly unusual, day what with being sort-of-almost arrested.

She caught Booth's eye and, nodding in the direction of the various dozing occupants of the table, told Jack and Zack that they should all probably head home. Booth wrapped an arm around his partner's waist and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Time to go, Bones." He breathed. She stirred, sighing slightly and snuggling closer to him. Booth chuckled and kissed her temple. "Booonnneeesss." He said a bit louder. She blinked, opening sleepy eyes to gaze up at him. Then suddenly realizing where she was, she jumped back with a yelp.

"I'm so sorry, Booth. I didn't mean to-"

"It's ok." He said softly. They locked eyes for a moment before breaking the gaze and turning to the rest of the group, grinning sheepishly.

"Well, I guess we'll be going." Brennan said, squeezing past Booth. She picked up a sleeping Mattie while Booth got Parker. Saying their goodbyes, the four went out to the parking lot.

"Booth?" Brennan asked shyly, shifting Mattie in her arms. "Can you drive me home?" She asked. At his questioning look, she added, "You drove us."

"Oh, yeah, sorry Bones. Come on." He gestured to his car. Once the boys were settled in the backseat, he started for her apartment. She was asleep by the time they were out of the parking lot. Smiling, he drove slowly through the deserted streets.

Glancing over at his partner, he tried to figure out where he stood with her. He was her partner, friend. . . but was he something more? He was practically the father to her foster child. She was practically a mother to _his _son. Things were going smooth, and then she _kissed him today. _

He had been stunned, pleasantly. It wasn't like her to make a move. It was their first kiss – in the doorway of her office, and it had been perfect. Short and sweet, like she had been kissing him all her life.

He hoped she _continued _to kiss him for the rest of her life.

Pulling up to her apartment building, he turned off the engine and turned to the woman curled in the passanger's seat. Reaching over, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She stirred.

"Bones. We're home." She opened her eyes and looked around. Nodding, she got out of the car and went around to pick up a sleeping Mattie. He woke along with Parker.

"Tempe?" Mattie asked.

"Yeah, munch?" Brennan asked, ruffling his hair.

"Can Parker sleep over tonight? We don't have school tomorrow." Parker nodded enthusiastically. Glancing at Booth, Brennan saw him nod.

"Well, only if Booth can sleep over too." She reasoned.

"Ok!" Both boys said excitedly. Chuckling, the partners put their respective munchkins down and started up the stairs. Reaching her door, Brennan unlocked it and stood back as the boys ran inside to Mattie's room to build a fort.

"Clever, Bones." Booth teased once they were inside.

"What?" She asked innocently.

"'Can Booth sleep over too?'" He imitated in a high pitched voice. Brennan rolled her eyes. "I'm just sayin', Bones. I'm not the one that kissed you today."

Her jaw dropped open and she gaped at him before Booth caught the mischievous glint in her eye. Jutting her chin out in defiance, she turned and walked towards the kitchen, throwing over her shoulder,

"Fine. I take it back."

"What?!" He exclaimed, quickly following her. He found her filling a glass with water. "You can't just 'take it back'! You kissed me!"

"No I didn't." She shrugged, taking a sip of water before putting the glass in the sink and clicking her tongue. "I don't know what you're talking about." Still playing along, but slightly hurt that she 'took it back', Booth stepped up and trapped her between the counter and his body.

"Take it back." He growled into her ear.

"Take what back?" She asked, teasingly running a finger down his chest.

"Take it back that you took it back."

"I can't take it back if I already took it back! That's a double negative!" She said quickly while attempting to duck under his arms. He held her tighter against him.

"Take. It. Back." He repeated, breathing in her ear so that she shivered.

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"That's not a very good reas-" She trailed off when he moved closer to her so that his lips were hovering above hers. He made to kiss her but she pulled back a bit, making him chase her. Fed up with the teasing, Booth captured her lips. After a quick kiss, Brennan pulled back with the glint in her eye back in full force.

"Now who's kissing who?" Booth moved down so that instead of his palms being braced on the counter, his forearms were. This put him level with her neck, where he nuzzled into her collarbone.

"We're even."

"No." She said stubbornly. "You kissed me longer." Pulling his head up to her, she kissed him long and deep, probing her tongue into his mouth. He let out a groan when she curled her tongue along the roof of his mouth. Panting, she pulled back.

"Now we're even."

"Not even close." He murmured, kissing her again. The phone rang and they reluctantly broke apart, Booth growling at the interruption. He picked up the offending device and barked a greeting into it as Brennan giggled.

"Cher?" Came the voice from the other end of the line. "Isn't this Dr. Brennan's phone?"

"Hey Caroline. Sorry 'bout that." He apologised sheepishly. "What are you calling Bones for?"

"A judge just called me at this ungodly hour, asking about a DNA test for a certain Matthew Brennan." Caroline Julian explained.

"Matthew Brennan?" He asked, confused.

"Yes, Matthew Brennan. Dr. Brennan's kid?"

"Oh. Right. And what did you say?"

"The woman claims she is the mother. She has every right to a DNA test. Can you bring the kid down to the Hoover building tomorrow?" She asked.

"He's not mine. Here, you can talk to Bones." Booth handed his partner the phone.

"Caroline?" Brennan asked hesitantly.

"Here, Cherie. Listen, can you bring Matthew down to the Hoover building for a DNA test tomorrow around noon? I'll meet you in Cher's office."

"S-sure." She replied. "But Caroline, what if she IS his mother? What am I going to do?"

Caroline's heart broke a little at the worried tone of Brennan's voice. "We'll figure it out, Cherie. There has to be a reason she didn't keep him in the first place. I'll do some digging and see what I can come up with."

"Thank you." Brennan said quietly before hanging up the phone. Turning, she buried her face in Booth's chest.

"Shh." He soothed for the second time that day. "We'll figure it out."

"Everyone keeps saying that." She murmured. Booth chuckled, the sound vibrating through and relaxing her.

"Let's go see what the boys are up to, then we can get some sleep, ok?" He suggested, stroking her back one more time before allowing her to step out of his arms. Her quiet 'ok' worried him slightly as they walked down the hall to Mattie's room.

Just as he had expected, both boys were sound asleep in a mess of pillows and blankets. Smiling, Booth turned off the light and lead Brennan to her bedroom. They took turns in the bathroom, changing and brushing their teeth. Crawling into bed, Booth wrapped his arms around her as she snuggled into his side.

"Booth?" She asked after a while. "You awake?"

"Yeah."

"What happens when I don't get him back-"

"Shhh. Don't even think about it, Bones."

"But-"

"No."

"Booothhhh." He kissed her to stop her protests.

"Please Bones. Don't think about it. Let's just get some sleep and deal with it in the morning." Nodding, she relented and weaved one leg through his, her hand curling around the material of his t-shirt.

If she was going to have her partner in her bed, even for one night, she was going to get as close to him as possible.

------

"TEMPE!"

"DADDY! DR. BONES!" Came the shouts of two very awake five year olds.

"What?" Booth mumbled into Brennan's neck. "What time is it?"

"It's six o'clock!" Parker exclaimed, bouncing up and down a bit. Mattie climbed over to where Brennan was and snuggled into her.

"What's up, Munch?" She asked.

"I'm not a munch!" He giggled.

"I know. You're a munchkin. Munch for short!" She teased, tickling him. Booth watched their interactions with a grin on his face. _She's such a natural. _

"Daddy! Can we have pancakes?" Parker asked. "Purleeeessssseeee?"

"Alright, fine. I'm up!I'll go make pancakes." Booth said sleepily, extracting himself from where he was tangled around his partner and heading to the kitchen.

"Mattie!" Booth called over his shoulder. "Make sure she gets up! If I have to get up at six, we're all getting up at six!" He chuckled when he heard 'getupgetupgetupgetupgetup!' coming from the bedroom. Ambling into the kitchen, he started pulling out ingredients for pancakes.

"Flour. . . butter. . .milk. . .eggs. . . " He muttered to himself. He started when he felt two arms wrap themselves around him from behind. Turning, he saw the grinning face of his partner. Leaning down he gave her a quick kiss.

"'Morning, Bones." He returned to making breakfast and felt her press her cheek into his shoulder blade.

"Smells good." She said, resting her chin on his shoulder as she peered at the concoction.

"The best!" He exclaimed, pouring a few rounds on to the hot griddle and adding chocolate chips to make a happy face. Brennan tilted her head to the side, studying the pancakes. Then she pointed at the biggest one.

"That one kind of looks like you." As Booth let out a gasp of fake hurt, the boys came running back into the kitchen, causing Brennan to jump away from him like she had been burned. Grinning sheepishly, she went and took a seat at one of the bar stools at her counter- trying to but a put a bit of distance between herself and the distraction who was currently flipping pancakes.

"Chocolate!" Mattie squealed, immediately digging in when the food was placed in front of him. Booth watched with interest as Brennan carefully added butter and syrup to hers, swirling the syrup in a spiral. He chuckled at the concentrated look on her face.

"What? They taste better this way." She defended, cutting a piece with the side of her fork and raising it to her mouth. Her eyes rolled back in her head when she took a bite.

"These are sooo good." She moaned, gulping down another bite. First pancake gone, she looked up to see Booth still watching her. Tilting her head to the side, she cut another bite, put it carefully on her fork, and walked over to him. Holding it out, she wiggled it teasingly in front of his mouth. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the bite and chewed.

"Those aren't half bad." He agreed. Making the rest of the pancakes, he shut off the griddle and gathered up the plates, putting them in the sink. The boys had run off to play, so Brennan was allowed to stare openly at her partner.

"We'd better get going, Booth. I know the boys don't have school today, but we still have work." He nodded and followed her back to her bedroom to get dressed.

Grabbing one of the extra suits that he kept at her place (they often fell asleep while working on paperwork), he went to the bathroom to change. Brennan got ready after him as he went to make sure Mattie and Parker were getting ready.

"You guys are coming to work with me today. No more bugging Uncle Jack!" Booth said as he helped Parker pull on his socks.

"Awww, Dad..." Parker complained.

"Come on, you guys love the FBI daycare!" Deciding they did, the five year olds ran to see if Tempe was ready yet.

"Tempe! Let's goooo!" Mattie said, pulling on her pant leg as she grabbed her cell phone.

"Coming, coming." She mumbled distractedly.

They all piled into the car and Booth drove to the Jeffersonian to drop Brennan off before heading to work. She was going to meet them at his office at 12 to see Caroline.

"Sweetie!" Angela squeed as soon as soon as she saw the anthropologist. "Did Booth drive you? Why was he with you at. . ." She checked her watch. "Eight in the morning?"

"Parker slept over, so Booth stayed too." She explained.

"Awww..." The artist said, dreamy-eyed. Brennan rolled her eyes and went off to get lost in a limbo case for a few hours.

------

"Dr. Brennan speak-" She answered her cell, only to be cut off.

"Yeah, yeah, Bones. I know. Look at the time! You were supposed to be here!" She looked up. It was 12.

"Shoot. I'll be there in twenty, ok? I'm so sorry, I was-"

"Stuck in limbo, I know." He finished for her.

"See you in a bit." Snapping her phone shut, she scurried out of the Jeffersonian.

------

15 minutes later she pulled into the parking lot of the Hoover building. Jumping out of the car she sprinted to her partner's office.

"Sorry I'm late, I-" She halted at the sight of Caroline.

"I've got some good news for you, Cherie." The procecuter said. "The woman who claims to be the mother of your foster child, well, she is the mother of your foster child." Brennan sank numbly into a chair.

"That's good news?" She asked weakly.

"Yes. She's got a record. The reason she gave him up in the first place is because she was forced to. The state wouldn't let someone like that keep a child. So the good news is, he's all yours. The bad news is, they recently caught her on a drug bust, and are sending her to jail for a VERY long time."

_Great. Mattie's got another criminal in his family. _She thought.

"Thank you, Caroline." Then she remembered something. "How did you know he was hers? Didn't you need a DNA-"

"It's all in the file, hun. His real name is Matthew Keenan."

"K-keenan?"

"His mother was your mother's sister. So he is, in a twisted way, your cousin."

"My cousin? How?..." As Brennan sat in stunned silence, Caroline got up to leave.

"Take care, Cher." She said before she was gone.

"Booth?" Brennan asked, sounding lost. He came to sit beside her.

"Yeah?"

"My cousin?"

"Mmm hmm."

"He's mine. I don't have to give him up." She murmured.

Wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into his side, Booth murmured back,

"I told you we'd figure it out."


End file.
